The Old Fight
by notmyimagination
Summary: This story is about the new generation at Hogwarts and the rise of the Third Wizarding War. Told mostly from the perspective of an original character, a muggle-born witch, who is trying to find her place in a new world and a very old fight. I have rated this M because while the characters start off young, they don't stay that way.
1. Chapter 1: Guest

_Hello! I want to start off by saying that I'm not British, so if my vocabulary is lacking that…Brit spark, you know why_ _These events are entirely out of my own imagination – but the characters, world, fantastical magic, and everything else we know and love from Hogwarts, belongs to the lovely J.K Rowling (and Warner Brothers I suppose). This is my very first fanfiction, and I'm diving in to see if I have any talent as a writer… So please review and let me know how I am doing. Cheers!_

A guest

Eva sat with her knees tucked into her chest, leaning into the wall that divided her bedroom from the bathroom. The carpet was scratchy on her bare feet, and the cold night air from the open window made the fine white hair on her forearms prickle. She could hear her mother sobbing on the other side of the wall, but Eva didn't get up to go to her. There was nothing she could do but sit on the floor of her dark bedroom and listen. The clock on her desk read 1:14 am.

Eva watched as the morning sunlight slowly creeped across the room, until it finally fell on the tops of her feet. Her mother had stopped crying hours ago, replaced by the sound of running water that drowned out her mother's movements in the next room. Eva took a deep breath and scrubbed her cheeks with the back of her hand before clumsily climbing to her feet. Her legs were completely asleep, but even still, she clung to the wall a little longer than necessary before turning around and climbing back into bed. She closed her eyes and waited.

The bedroom door creaked as it opened, revealing a tiny woman in baggy pajamas.

"Eva honey, are you awake?" Her mother poked her head into the bedroom, smiling.

Eva stayed quiet, snuggling into the pillow a little before going still. She was good at pretending to be asleep.

The bed dipped a little bit as her mother sat down, "Good morning sweetie."

Eva pretended to sleep a little longer, treasuring the feeling of her mother's fingers sweeping her hair behind her ear. She could feel the warmth radiating off her mother's body, and fought the urge to curl up on her mother's lap like she had when she was little.

"Oh sleepy, sleepy head?"

Eva opened her eyes slowly and gave them a convincing rub, "Morning, mum."

Eva's mother smiled, her eyes crinkling in the corners. "Dad is going to be home soon, hop into the shower and be down for breakfast soon?"

"Okay."

Eva's mother bent down and kissed her daughter's cheek before getting up and walking out of the bedroom.

Eva could count every nub of her mother's spine through her t-shirt.

Eva sat across from her dad at the kitchen table. He looked exhausted, and hadn't changed out of his security uniform, but he smiled at his wife and daughter every chance he got.

"How was work, dad?" Eva asked, putting some more butter on her toast.

"Quiet."

"That's the way we like it," Eva's mother said with a smile.

"Yes, I know. But still, it makes for a long and uneventful night." Her dad yawned, "Did you hear from the landlord?"

Eva fixed her eyes on her plate. Hating the anxiety that creeped into her parent's voices.

"Yes. He is hiking up the rent, and he hasn't gotten back to me about the sink yet."

"How the man can talk about raising the rent £100 and not reimburse us for the plumbing…"

Eva scuffed her slippers on the floor and ate some more toast while her parents talked. After while her mother excused herself and drifted down the hallway. Eva and her dad sat in silence for a moment.

"How is she?"

Eva paused before answering, "She was up all night again. The pain was really bad."

"She told me you slept."

Eva didn't answer.

"Oh sweetie," Eva's dad rested his head in his hands for a minute, "You can't do anything, and you need to sleep." He took a deep breath and reached out for his daughter's tiny hand, "We have to trust the doctors."

Eva's mouth felt dry, and her stomach heaved. She put her toast back on her plate, "I know."

Her dad looked like he was about to say something, when a sharp nock sounded on the apartment door.

Confused, Eva looked over at the door. Nobody had buzzed their unit, and they never had guests.

There was a screech as Eva's dad pushed his chair away from the table and went over to the door, he looked through the peep hole before removing the chain and opening the door, "Good morning, mam. Is there something I can do for you?"

Eva craned her neck to see past her dad, where a tall, severe looking woman stood. She had almost completely grey hair, pulled back into a tight bun at the back of her head, and square spectacles.

"Yes, good morning Mr. O'Connor. I am here to talk with you and your wife about a place at my school for your daughter, Eva."

Eva arched her eyebrows. That was weird. She already had a school.

"Yes, of course. Come in."

That was weirder. Her father never let strangers into their house, and he clearly hadn't been expecting anyone this morning.

Eva stood up slowly and walked over to her dad and the older woman, "Hello?"

The woman looked down at Eva sharply, and her piercing eyes seemed to peel away a layer of Eva's skin.

Eva pressed into her father.

"Hello, Eva. My name is Professor McGonagall. I am headmistress of a very special school called Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" Eva's mother had suddenly appeared in the hallway, "What on earth is a Hogwarts?"

Professor McGonagall's piercing eyes settled on Eva's mother, and Eva could have sworn that they softened. "It's a school for gifted Children. Very gifted children." McGonagall turned to Eva and her father, "Perhaps we could sit down for a moment?"


	2. Chapter 2: Choices

**Ch 2. Choices**

Eva and her parents sat on the couch in stunned silence, "I'm a, I'm a…"

"A witch, darling," McGonagall's eyes sparkled.

Eva's mother cleared her throat, "So, so she, she should go to this school then?"

Professor McGonagall nodded, "Yes. It will be a place for her to learn all about magic, and about herself. She will make true friends, and study under incredible teachers."

Eva's dad nodded slowly. After what the woman had showed them, he couldn't doubt that this was real. His daughter was a witch. He smiled, "So she will be off to live in a castle with other witches?" He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of castles.

"And wizards," McGonagall added.

"Witches and wizards." Her father whistled.

Eva stared at her slippers.

"Eva?"

Eva's head snapped up to see all three adults looking at her.

"Do you have any questions?"

 _Any questions?!_ She was having trouble breathing.

"Well, I do." Eva's mother looked at McGonagall, "How will we stay in touch with her? You said that our cellphones and computers won't work at Hogwarts."

"They won't, but the children will have post by owl almost daily, so you will be able to write to her."

"By owl?"

"Yes, we deliver all our mail by owl post. It is very reliable and actually quite fast. Not as fast as your 'text message,' but still, you will find it quite satisfactory."

Eva broke in, suddenly catching up to the adults, "How much does it cost?"

Eva's parents quickly jumped in, "No, don't worry about that sweetie."

"We will figure it out."

McGonagall watched the two adults closely. She hadn't missed the worn furnishing, chipped paint, or the questionable neighbours in the hallway, "Ah, please don't worry about finances. We have funds for students who need assistance with textbooks and other items. Your daughter will not be at any disadvantage."

Eva's father's cheeks reddened, "That's…good to hear. Thank you."

Eva saw him blink away tears and felt her heart clench.

"It's just, my health hasn't been good lately and I haven't been able to work for a few months." Eva's mother quickly interjected, putting her hand on her husband's leg.

McGonagall gave the other woman a kindly smile, "Please don't let it worry you. Eva will be well taken care of."

Eva looked at her mother's hand. All bone and sinew, with a small bruise from the last IV. She looked back to the professor, "No."

Everyone tuned to Eva in shock.

"I mean, no, I'm not going to Hogwarts. I have a fine school here. I learn History and Maths and other stuff… I don't need to go to Hogwarts."

Eva's parents both broke in, clearly trying to understand why their amazing, imaginative daughter wasn't leaping at the chance to attend Hogwarts. They had seen the light in her eyes and the flush in her face when McGonagall had showed them real magic. She wanted to go. They knew she did.

McGonagall's eyes narrowed in consideration, before turning to Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor, "Perhaps you could give your daughter and I a moment alone?"

Eva watched her parents exchange a quick glance before they both got up. Eva's mother kissed the top of her head before going with her husband into the bedroom down the hall.

Eva looked at her hands and said nothing.

After what seemed like much longer than a few breaths, McGonagall spoke.

"You're afraid to leave your mother."

It wasn't a question.

"She has cancer," Eva choked out. Horrified at the silent tears pouring down her cheeks, she scrubbed her face with her shirt.

McGonagall reached out and touched the Eva's knee gently, "She wants you to go."

"I – I know, b-but what if…" Eva trailed off, now sobbing in earnest and trying desperately to smother her sobs into tattered cushion. She didn't want her parents to hear. She didn't want them to know. They'd only feel guilty, thinking they were holding her back.

"Your mother has doctors here, and your father. She will be taken care of."

Eva noticed how McGonagall didn't try and tell her that everything was going to be okay. After months of what seemed like constant lies from adults and doctors, it was that more than anything else that made her look up.

"You have magic inside of you, dear. Magic that needs to be trained and controlled."

"If I have magic, why can't I fix my mum?"

And suddenly it hit her. _Magic._

"You can help her, can't you? With magic?" Eva hadn't even noticed that she had flown to her feet and was looking at the other witch with a kind of frenzied excitement.

McGonagall sighed, "I won't pretend I wasn't expecting this."

Eva glared at the woman, suddenly convinced that the cure she had been waiting for was right in front of her. "So help her."

McGonagall looked up at the young girl with genuine sympathy, "I can't. You see, cancer isn't a disease that our people have. It isn't that we've cured it, it just doesn't affect us."

Eva sunk back into the couch.

"I'm sorry."

"But you have doctors?" Eva's said slowly, the wheels turning in her head.

"We do, yes. They're called Healers."

"And Healers fix all sorts of wizard diseases?"

"Yes, they do their best."

Eva looked at the woman for the first time since her outburst, "Has anyone tried to help us? I mean, them? The muggles?"

McGonagall closed her eyes briefly, she had expected the girl to be concerned about her mother, but the dogged pursuit of an answer was bring them closer to a prejudice that she had been hoping to avoid, at least for a few weeks while the girl settled in.

"Have they? Have the healers tried to cure cancer?"

"No," McGonagall replied honestly.

"Why?"

"Remember how I explained to you and your parents how our world was a secret?"

Eva knew what was coming, but she answered anyway, "Yes."

"We stay separate from muggles for the most part. If we cured their diseases without science, then they would need to know how. We would be out there in the open, and they would be afraid of us. Half the muggles would want magical solutions and the other half would want to destroy us."

"So you let thousands of muggles die without even trying to help them?"

McGonagall could count the times in her life that she had been lost for words on one hand, but this meeting was threatening to change that. "They do quite well for themselves, Eva."

"Well my mother isn't."

The two witches, one young and one old, sat in silence.

"I'll come to Hogwarts."

McGonagall nodded, managing to shield her surprise.

"But I know what I am going to do. I'm going to be a Doct- a Healer, and I'm going to fix everything."

* * *

It was 7 o'clock in the morning on the 27th of August, and Eva sat at the kitchen table with her parents, waiting for her escort to a place called Diagon Alley. None of them had eaten much, and Eva's mother kept excusing herself to use the bathroom. There had been a time when Eva's father had tried to distract her when her mother drifted away to hid her pain, but now they both just sat in silence, listening and waiting.

Her mother rejoined them at the table with a shaky smile, "I swear no one changes the toilet paper but me."

Eva's father faked admonishment, "Hey now, I swear I did it last year."

Eva watched her parents exchange their usual banter, and wondered what it would be like if her father gave up and stopped trying to

She decided she didn't want to think about it.

There was a knock at the door.

"These people really don't know how to use the com system, do they?" Eva's dad joked, getting up to answer the door.

As if in que her mother began apologizing again, "Sweetie, I'm sorry I can't come." She choked back more tears, "I tried to switch the appointment, but Dr. Carry couldn't shift me around at all. I had to go today."

Eva hugged her mum, "I know, really I do. I'm not upset at all."

"Your dad could go with you."

"No!" Both Eva and her dad said at the same time.

"But…"

"Please, Adriana, we've settled this." Her dad looked exhausted as he kissed his wife, "We said we'd do all the appointments together, and we will." He reached out and unchained the door, and Eva couldn't help but smile as her dad subconsciously smoothed his T-shirt.

The front door opened to reveal a friendly looking, slightly chubby man. He brushed his hand through his greying hair, "Hello, M. O'Connor. I'm Professor Longbottom."

Eva's dad smiled, clearly more at home with this wizard than the stately looking witch who had come to visit them a month previous, "Please, call me Frank."

A sweet, but slightly sad smile appeared on Professor Longbottom's round face, "Well, then you should call me Neville."

"Nice to meet you, Neville."

Both men warmly shook hands.

Adriana got up and made her way over to Neville, shaking his hand and introducing Eva, "Neville, this is our girl, Eva."

Neville bent down slightly, "Hello Eva, it's a pleasure to meet you." He reached out his hand.

Eva smiled and shook the wizard's hand, remembering what her father told her about a good firm, but not too firm, handshake, "Hello professor Longbottom." She tried not to giggle, but his name really was ridiculous.

Neville smiled, "Do you two have any questions or should we be off?"

"Nope," Adriana said warmly, kissing her daughter on the top of the head.

"Are you sure we don't need to send her with any money?" Frank asked.

"No, no. We've got that covered." Neville smiled at both adults, "Really."

Eva wrapped her parents in a tight hug, before looking up at her mum, "Good luck. You promise to tell me what Dr. Carry says?"

Her mother pursed her lips slightly before answering, "Yes, of course." She smiled again and said jokingly, "Now go with the professor and make sure to take notes so that you can tell us everything when you get back, okay?"

Eva laughed, "I don't need to take notes mum."

Neville laughed, "I needed to take notes for everything when I was your age. And to be honest, even that didn't help much."

Eva couldn't believe her eyes. She wanted to look at everything 100 times, and even that wouldn't have been enough. The streets were alive with colours, and everywhere she looked there were people streaming in and out of shops, laughing and bickering, all carrying the most outrageous items. A tall witch with purple eyes pushed past her with her arms full of what looked like tiny blue elves, and she watched in awe as a slightly drunk wizard, who was burping purple bubbles, collided with what looked to her like a cart full of blue bottled flames.

Everywhere she looked there were things she had no name for.

"Wow."

Neville chucked, "Yes, I am sure this is quite an eye-full." He pulled her gently out of the way of a large squabbling family all wearing orange velvet cloaks. "Try to remember that this will all seem old-hat to you after your first year at Hogwarts. One of my best friends is a muggle-born, and she was the best which in our school."

Eva looked up, feeling like her stomach was full of those tiny blue elves, "She was?"

Neville nodded, "Yes, so don't worry so much. You'll catch up in no time."

Eva took a deep breath and looked down at the list clutched in her shaking hands.

 ** _First-year students will require:_**

\- Three Sets of Plain Work Robes (Black)

\- One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear

\- One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)

\- One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings)

 _Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags at all times._

 **Books:**

\- The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk

\- A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

\- Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

\- A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

\- Magical plants of England by Neville Longbottom

\- Magical Drafts and Potions by Horace Slughorn

\- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

\- The Dark Arts: A beginners guide to defensive spells by Aros Loran

 **Other Equipment**

\- 1 Wand

\- 1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

\- 1 set of glass or crystal phials

\- 1 telescope

\- 1 set of brass scales

 _Students may also bring an Owl, a Cat or a Toad._

 **PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.**

Eva scanned the list, "You wrote one of these books?"

Neville looked surprised and went a little pink in his ears, "Yes I did. You're very observant."

Eva smiled at the praise, feeling her own cheeks go red in response.

Neville smiled, "Well, why don't we get your books first then, okay? Get the boring stuff out of the way."

"Okay," Eva agreed, although she couldn't imagine anything boring about magic books. She thought of her maths and English books from her school and grinned.

 _This will be anything but boring._

They ducked into the crammed bookstore, and looked around. Eva had never seen so many books in her life. The public library near their apartment was pretty sparse, and everything she wanted to read was usually checked out anything. Plus, none of the books looked as magnificent as these ones did. Her eyes quickly fell on the used section, and she made her way over with the list and a basket. Neville seemed to understand that she wanted to do as much as she could on her own, and after guiding her to the bookstore he excused himself to go pick up a butter beer (whatever that was).

"The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1," she mumbled, running her fingers along worn spines, searching for the title. She could almost feel the magic tingling inside her fingertips.

Eva found her books with relatively little difficulty, but lingered among the shelves for longer than she needed, eyeing the various titles with awe.

 _Ensnare your foes and protect your friends_

 _Potions for the macabre_

Eva drifted off into her head, imagining what Hogwarts would look like. She knew that most of the other students would already know lots about magic, but McGonagall had assured her none of them would have been allowed to practice anything on their own yet. Eva knew they'd have an advantage (adults always tried to make kids think things were fair), after all, knowledge was power, and these kids would know far more than she would. Eva took in a deep breath and turned away from the shelves.

About two hours later, Eva had all her books and equipment except for a wand. Eva carefully folded the school list and placed in back inside her jeans, looking up at Neville with bright eyes.

"I know what's next," Neville said smiling.

Eva was so excited that she could barely breathe. A wand. _A wand means magic. Real magic._ She thought of the spell McGonagall had used to transform their coffee table into a rabbit, and while she didn't see much use for that kind of thing, she knew that Healers used wands to fix patients.

Neville guided her through the throngs of people until they reached a small, narrow shop just hidden from the bustle of the streets. They stepped inside and the noise from outside instantly died, it was like they had stepped into a tiny, dark cave. Eva took a quivering breath as her eyes adjusted to the candlelight.

Then man behind the counter was so old that Eva was shocked when he opened his eyes.

"Ah, Mr. Longbottom. How lovely to see you again. Is this your daughter?"

"No, Mr. Ollivander," Neville said smiling, "This is Eva O'Connor. Her parents are muggles, so I am helping her with her school shopping today.

"I see." The ancient wizard got up and made his way into the maze of dark shelves without another word.

Eva's palms were sweating so fiercely she was worried any wand would just slip out of her fingers. She suddenly wondered if maybe no wands would work for her, and they'd decide it was all a big mistake and send her home.

The wand maker returned with a narrow box, moving like a ghost between the shelves and presenting her with a short honey coloured wand.

Eva reached out a shaking hand and took it, holding it awkwardly before giving it a quick jerk.

Her hair caught fire.

She let out a shriek, but almost before she could register what had happened, Neville had sprayed water from his wand and drenched her hair.

She spluttered, "O-Oh, my god."

Mr. Ollivander looked un-phased and plucked the wand from her fingers, "Perhaps dragon heartstring is not for you."

Even Neville appeared shocked, and he hastily dried her hair with warm bursts of air from his wand.

Eva looked up at him with her round blue eyes, "W-Was that normal?"

Neville hesitated, "Well, no, not normal. But my friend Seamus lit his mother's robes on fire when he was looking for his first wand, so it isn't abnormal."

Before she could decide whether to laugh or cry, Mr. Ollivander had returned with another box.

Eva took a deep breath.

No less than 16 wands later, Mr. Ollivander old Eva that he was sure he had found the one. Instead of getting tired, the corpse-like man only seemed to grow more excited with each failure, and by the 16th wand Eva swore he was ten years younger.

Eva snapped the wand from his hand and swooshed it through the air before she completely lost her nerve. In addition to lighting her hair on fire she had destroyed two shelves, Neville's robes, and Mr. Olivander's glasses.

A warm sensation spread from her fingertips up to her hairline, feeling at once like sunlight and warm water. She felt, for a split second, like she had met a friend.

"Oh," She whispered.

Mr. Ollivander smiled, revealing missing teeth, "Redwood and unicorn hair, 10 and a half inches, unyielding."

Eva looked down at the wand. It was a dark, warm colour, and not completely straight. It dipped down in the middle and then back up again. The grip wasn't sanded at all, and felt just like the bark of a tree.

"I love it."


	3. Chapter 3: Friends

_Alright, chapter 3! This one is the last chapter to take place in their first year, the rest will be in 5th year!_

* * *

 ****

 **Ch 3. Friends**

The station was a blur of noise and bodies, all clambering to tell each other what they had forgotten, who needed to be writing who, and who had better not get in trouble this year. The O'Connor family was oblivious to it all, and stood huddled around a battered trunk, hugging and kissing, unable to say good-bye. All of them were crying.

"You'll write to us?"

"Everyday."

"Promise me."

"I promise, mum."

"Just remember you have to email us – er, send an owl first? That way we can send a letter back to you."

"Yes, dad. I promise I will." Eva smiled and threw her arms around both her parents, then detached from her dad and wrapped herself completely around her mum. She felt something catch in her throat as she gave her mum's bony frame a gentle squeeze. Adriana weighed almost the same as her eleven-year-old daughter.

"Don't take any shit from anyone, okay?" Frank interjected, kissing his daughter's blond head.

"Frank!"

"Dad!"

"Sorry, sorry. I know. Another one for the jar. But seriously, anyone gives you any trouble and you punch 'em right in the nose. Just like I showed you."

Adriana laughed, "Frank, they use spells not fists. Not that she should be hitting or, what's it called?"

"Jinxing."

"Right, not that you should be jinxing anyone."

Eva laughed, "I don't know how, mum."

Frank grinned, "Then compromise."

"And what exactly is a compromise between those two things, Frank?" Adriana scowled.

"Poke them in the eye…with your wand," Frank chortled.

Eva and her mother both laughed until they were drowned out by the train's whistle.

"Okay, go! Hurry!"

Eva nodded and stumbled away, pushing her trolley towards the train, tears streaming down her face.

Eva pulled herself and her trunk through the corridor of the train, trying to hold back her tears. _What if she gets worse?_ Eva pushed the thought away and tried to will the tears back inside. She needed to find a seat, and she didn't want her first encounter with her new classmates to be one where she was in tears.

"Ooo, look the baby muggle is crying."

Eva heard the voice, but didn't register that it was directed at her until she hear 'crying.'

 _Right. Muggle. That's what they call non-magic people._

Eva looked towards the voice.

The speaker was standing across from her, with her arms crossed over new black robes. She looked about the same age as Eva, but had artfully applied black eye-liner shaping her green eyes. She could have been quite pretty, but the look in her eyes made Eva think that she wasn't.

"I said you're a cry baby. Why don't you run home to your disgusting parents?"

Eva instantly felt the tears in her eyes vanish. Range was slowly creeping up and flushing her face. Who even was this girl, and who did she think she was to comment on Eva's parents? She didn't even know them.

The girl snorted and opened her mouth again, but someone else cut her off.

"Don't you have animals to kill or something, Marie? I'm sure your brother needs a hand."

A boy with messy reddish brown hair stood in the door of an open compartment, leaning casually against the doorframe. His brown eyes were narrowed at the dark haired girl in disgust.

Marie looked like she wanted to say something nasty, but a look at the wand in the older boy's hand seemed to change her mind. She tossed her shiny, black hair over one smooth brown shoulder and flounced back into a nearby compartment. Slamming the door with enough force that the glass rattled.

"You okay?"

Eva looked back at the boy and nodded, "Yeah. I'm fine." Remembering her manners she stuck out her hand, "Eva O'Connor."

The boy smiled, but hesitated before taking her hand and saying his name, "James. James Potter."

"Nice to meet you, James." Eva said brightly.

James looked a bit surprised, "Uh, yeah. You too."

Clearly whatever he had expected hadn't happened, but before she could comment they were both caught off guard by the train lurching to a start.

Eva wobbled and James caught her firmly by the upper arm.

"Best you take a seat," said James.

Eva nodded but didn't move.

Catching on, James added, "You can sit in here. I was just helping my little brother get settled. You two look like you're the same age."

James grabbed Eva's trunk and slid the sliding door open for her.

Eva shuffled awkwardly into the compartment and looked to see two kids her age sitting opposite each other on the benches.

The boy was leaning against the window looking morose, and the girl was almost completely hidden by a book that read, _The Best Chasers of Great Brittan._

James lifted Eva's trunk up onto the rack before saying, "Eva, this is my brother little Albus and my cousin, Rose Weasley."

Albus looked over and nodded shyly. He had hair as untidy as his brother, but jet black instead of reddish. He also had bright green eyes and was lacking the healthy splattering of freckles that decorated his brother.

Rose had a similar splattering of freckles over her light brown skin, and big brown eyes that reminded Eva of a doe.

Eva smiled and sat down beside Rose, "Hi."

Rose grinned, showing large white teeth, "Hi Eva!"

James turned to leave, "Good luck with the sorting…" He tuned mischievously to Albus, "Slytherin isn't too bad… if you don't mind dungeon slime in your bed!" With a final cackle, James disappeared.

Rose stuck her tongue out at her older cousin's back and gave Albus a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "Don't worry. You won't be."

Albus looked quite green and said nothing.

"Sorry, but what's wrong?" Eva asked tentatively.

Rose considered Eva for a moment, "You're muggle born aren't you?"

Eva bit her lip, she was getting the feeling that being muggle born wasn't such a good thing.

"Oh, don't worry! My mum is muggle born. It isn't bad, I just said something because you didn't know why it was bad to be a Slytherin. Not that it's actually bad," she added quickly, looking at Albus.

Albus seemed to sink deeper into the bench.

"Well," Eva cut in, eager to demonstrate that she did know something, "I know that there are four houses: Ravenclaw is for the wise and clever; Hufflepuff is for the loyal and determined; Gryffindor is for the brave and noble; Slytherin is for the ambitious and ingenious."

"Ingenious?" Rose scoffed.

"It means clever, resourceful an-"

"I know what it means," laughed Rose.

"Well it's what McGonagall said," Eva retorted defensively.

Rose shrugged, "Yeah, well almost all the bad wizards and witches were in Slytherin. Ambitions is code for cutthroat, and ingenious is code for devious."

"Well then I wouldn't worry about it," Eva said, looking over at Albus.

Albus didn't meet her eyes.

"You seem really nice. If Slytherin is really bad, then you won't end up there."

Albus gave her a weak smile, "I sure hope not. My whole family is in Gryffindor."

Rose piped up enthusiastically, "I'll be in Gryffindor, or maybe Ravenclaw. But probably Gryffindor."

Eva thought for a moment, "I don't know where I will be."

"You won't be in Slytherin."

Albus groaned.

Eva looked at Rose, "I could be. I'm pretty ambitious." She giggled, "And for all you know I'm actually an evil dark witch."

Rose shook her head, "No, I mean you can't be."

"How do you know?"

Rose sighed knowingly, "Because you're muggle-born. Slytherin only takes purebloods. Well, not necessarily completely pure, there's the occasional half-blood in there…but no muggle-borns. Not ever."

Eva shifted uncomfortably, "I thought you said being muggle-born wasn't a bad thing."

"It isn't. You don't want Slytherin anyways."

Eva turned to Albus, eager to change the subject, "So…your parents are both magical?"

"Yeah."

"What, um, wizarding jobs do they have?"

Albus smiled, "My mum is a journalist. She covers Qudditch."

Eva silently thanked Professor Longbottom for filling her in on the wizarding sport.

"And my dad is an Auror."

"A what?"

Rose beamed, "A dark wizard catcher! My mum is one too."

"Wow. How did they get into something like that?"

Both Rose and Albus exchanged a look.

"Do you know who Harry Potter is?" Rose asked.

"No."

"What about Voldemort?" asked Albus.

"Um…" Eva had a feeling she had heard the name somewhere.

Rose and Albus exchanged another look.

Rose smoothed her robes and settled into what she assumed was a teacher-like seat, "Get ready for your first Hogwarts history lesson. 

* * *

Eva followed Rose and Albus into the great hall, and instantly focused all her energy on not fainting. Her whole body felt like it was humming with electricity, and she couldn't settle her eyes on anything for more than a second. It was wonderful. Candles flickered above them, and the ceiling didn't seem to be a ceiling at all; rather a stormy night sky, throwing shadows along the ancient walls.

"Eva, look." Rose whispered excitedly.

Eva snapped her eyes up to the front, where Headmistress McGonagall stood holding a battered old wizarding hat.

 _That's it. That's the sorting hat._

All the first years seemed to take a collective shuddering breath, and the sorting began.

"Eric Abbot."

A short, freckled boy stumbled forward and promptly disappeared beneath the sorting hat.

"Gryffindor!"

A cheer rose up from the Gryffindor table.

"Cecilia Bulstrode."

A tall girl walked forward, her jaw set.

"Slytherin!"

A cheer from the Slytherins.

"I'm going to be before you," Eva squeaked.

Rose reached out and held her new friend's hand, "It will be okay."

Eva looked over at Albus, and he looked terrified. She reached out and took his hand.

"Thanks," he whispered.

"I will still be your friend, even if you're in Slytherin," Eva whispered, careful not to involve Rose.

"You say that now," Albus choked.

"Scorpius Malfoy."

Eva looked up to see a tall boy with white-blonde hair making his way to the stool. He had a proud face and a sharp, pointed nose. Eva couldn't really see his eyes from where she was, but she thought they might be grey.

"Malfoy," Rose snorted. "Slytherin, you'll see."

Eva watched the hat make its decision. It was taking a fairly long time, considering Rose's certainty concerning the boy's ultimate destination.

"Slytherin!"

The boy's face crumpled with relief for a split second, before regaining its previous composure.

"See?" Rose said confidently. "The whole family has been in Slytherin. They're pure-bloods, and not the good kind."

"Eva O'Connor."

Eva froze, her heart hammering in her chest.

 _Oh my god. What if they send me back? What if it was all a huge mistake and I'm really just a muggle. Rose said they could erase memories of muggles who find out about this…_

"Eva, move!" Rose hissed, shoving her friend forward.

Eva staggered forward, letting go of her friends' hands. Before she knew it, the sorting hat was on her head.

 _Ah, a tricky one._

"I'm not a mistake," Eva whispered to the hat.

 _I don't say you were. Just that you're a tricky one. Nothing wrong with a little challenge._

Eva closed her eyes.

 _Plenty of loyalty. Plenty of fire._

Eva squeezed her eyes shut tighter.

 _But loyalty. Oh, yes. Loyalty...but the courage to fight for it. Yes, to fight. Hmm, but where to go?_

Eva waited, but the hat remained silent as the minutes ticked by.

A girl laughed, "She's a muggle! I knew it."

Eva groaned inwardly as she recognized the girl from the train.

"Better take her home to her muggle parents!" another voice shrieked.

Eva took a deep breath and opened her eyes, searching for Marie.

The two girls locked eyes, and Eva tried to pour every ounce of fury into her gaze. She belonged here. She was going to be a Healer. She was going to fix everything. Just because the stupid hat didn't know it yet… It didn't mean anything. She. Was. A. Witch.

 _As I said. Plenty of fire._

"Gryffindor!"

Eva practically launched herself off the stool and into Rose's waiting arms.

"I knew it!" Rose shrieked. We're going to be together. You'll see.

Eva made her way over to the waiting Gryffindors, and sunk down beside James Potter.

"You survived. That was the first hat-stall I've ever seen. What was it torn between?"

"Not sure." Eva swallowed, "I think maybe Hufflepuff?"

James grinned, "Well this is where you want to be. The Hufflepuffs are pansies."

After what Eva had seen today, some friendly pansies didn't seem like such a bad thing.

Eva tried to change the subject, "What year are you in?"

"Third," James mumbled, clearly distracted by his friends.

Eva nodded and looked around the hall. James began talking with his friends again in earnest.

"Albus Potter!"

Eva felt James' body snap towards the front.

 _Please let him get Gryffindor like he wants._

The hat was on his head for a few seconds before,

"Slytherin!"

Eva heard James gasp in genuine shock, but she didn't move her eyes away from Albus.

The boy looked like he was about to be sick. No one was clapping.

Without hesitation Eva began clapping, there was silence at first, but then James joined in.

As if James was a secret que, the rest of the third years began clapping, and soon a few Slytherins joined in.

Eva noticed that Scorpius Malfoy was the first Slytherin to clap.

"Holy shit," James whispered. "Holy shit shit shit."

Eva watched Albus make his way over to the Slytherin table, and her heart clenched as no one moved over. There was nowhere for him to sit.

"Slimy bastards," James snarled.

And then Scorpius Malfoy slid over and gestured for Albus to join him.

Both Eva and James let out a relieved sigh.

"I never would have, y'know, teased him. If I had known. If I thought that it could really happen."

"I know," Eva answered truthfully.

"Rose Weasley."

Eva looked away from Albus and back up to the front.

Rose looked a bit shaken, but she had pulled her bushy brown hair back into a tight bun and walked towards the stool with her shoulders back and her head high.

The hat didn't even touch her head completely.

"Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers.

Rose leapt up and dashed towards her cousin and new friend, a huge smile on her face.

"Congratulations!" Eva said with a tight hug.

Rose grinned even wider, her brown eyes sparkling with glee.

"Welcome students, new and old." McGonagall said, her voice echoing over the hall and bringing it to silence.

Eva wolfed down second helpings of the amazing feast, while Rose made jokes about her family and all the chaos her cousins got up to during Christmas and other family holidays. Eva didn't have any grandparents or cousins, so in comparison to the Potter and Weasley families, her family was extremely quiet.

"And then Teddy, who's pretty much our cousin, set fire to the goose, and we all ended up eating treacle tart!" Rose roared with laughter.

Eva laughed along with her, until her eyes drifted over to the Slytherin table.

Albus was sitting with his shoulders slumped and, by the look of his plate, he hadn't eaten anything.

Eva instantly felt guilty. She was sitting here laughing with his cousin while he sat, basically alone, with a bunch of people who seemed to already hate him. With what Rose had explained to her on the train, she understood why the Slytherins didn't love Harry Potter's son… but she still felt like they were taking things too far.

"I'll be right back, Rose."

Rose arched her eyebrows in surprise as Eva wiggled off the bench and made her way over to the Slytherin table. She could feel heads turning and eyes burrowing into her head, but she kept her eyes fixed on Albus' slumped back.

"Albus?"

Albus whirled around in shock, "Eva, what are you-"

Eva bent down so that the other Slytherins couldn't hear, "I just wanted to say congratulations on being clever, creative, ambitious, and just really awesome."

Albus looked shocked.

"I know we just met, but I want you to know that I don't think you should be ashamed about being any of those things. And, if you want to, I'd like to still be your friend."

Albus smiled, "I would like that. Thanks, Eva. Really."

Eva smiled and gave her friend a quick hug.

And that's when she noticed Scorpius. He was looking at her with his steady, stormy grey eyes, and she could tell he had heard everything. She tensed, remembering what Rose has said about his family.

"I'm Scorpius."

He didn't look unfriendly, so she reached out her hand, "Eva. Eva O'Connor."

"Ew! Scorpius. Be careful, you're going to get mud all over your hand."

Eva looked up, not surprised to see Marie sitting two seats away with a smirk on her red lips.

And then a hand was in hers.

"Scorpius Malfoy," his eyes met hers steadily, and he didn't even blink in Marie's direction.

Eva gave his hand a gentle squeeze, "A pleasure."


	4. Chapter 4: A New Year

**Ch 4. A New Year**

Eva raced through Diagon Alley, searching for Rose and Al. The noise and madness of Diagon Alley was all second nature to her now, and she slipped in and out of the crowds with ease, scanning the faces of passersby for her best friends. The Potters and the Weasleys had been in Peru all summer, so she hadn't seen her friends since the end of fourth year. Her and Rose had arranged to meet outside Florish and Blots so that they could do their school shopping together, as they had since second year.

"Eva!"

Eva whirled around to see Rose racing towards her.

The curly haired witch was even darker than she usually was, clearly sun-kissed from her adventures through ancient temples. They crashed together in an excited hug.

"Oh my god, you've grown like five inches!" Eva exclaimed, looking up at her stunning friend.

Rose chucked, "You haven't grown at all."

Eva scowled and gave her friend a playful shove, "Thanks for rubbing it in."

Rose laughed, "Hugo, come say hi to Eva!"

Rose's little brother Hugo walked over, smiling shyly. He looked almost identical to his sister, with big brown eyes and wild curls.

"Uhg, you're taller than me too," Eva complained, hugging Rose's gangly brother.

Hugo grinned, "You should see Albus, he's almost as tall as James."

And, as if on cue, Albus appeared with Scorpius not far behind.

Eva dashed over and stood on her tiptoes to give her other best friend a hug, "It's so good to see you! I've missed you. You look amazing, very tan." She held Albus at arm's length, affectionately admiring the sprinkle of black stubble along his bronzed cheeks.

Albus smiled down at his friend, "I've missed you too, Eva." He pulled her in for another hug, resting his chin on the top of her head, "How was your summer?"

"Fine," Eva lied, quick to change the subject. "Scorpius!"

Scorpius nodded, "Hi."

Eva gave the pale young wizard a fake scowl, "Wow, that's all I get?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes and opened his arms, "You should have been in Hufflepuff."

Eva laughed and gave Scorpius an over-enthusiastic hug, attempting to lift him off his feet and only managing to make him huff in discomfort. At fifteen the pale wizard was pushing six feet, and was already filling out in a way that made Albus still look the gangly teenager.

"Merlin, calm down. Not everyone likes hugs you know," Scorpius growled, untangling himself.

Eva took a step back, raising her hands in mock surrender, "Yes, yes, okay."

"Your dad loved that, Malfoy." Rose drawled, nodding over to where Draco Malfoy stood with his wife.

Scorpius stiffened, he clearly hadn't noticed his parents.

"Thanks for pointing that out, Weasley." Scorpius growled, refusing to look at his father, or at Rose for that matter.

"Yeah, well I thought someone should point out that your father still winces every time you see us."

Scorpius opened his mouth angrily.

"You guys are still going to be like this?" Albus cut in, sounding exhausted.

"Like what?" Rose snapped.

"All at odds and everything."

Scorpius shrugged, "We don't have to like each other, Al."

Albus looked uncomfortable, "Yeah, I know, but you and Eva get along alright."

Eva laughed, arching her eyebrows at Scorpius, "Yeah, but that's because every time he tries to be mean to me I just hug him. Turns out, hugging him in front of other Slytherins every time he's mean is the best way to make him act nice."

Scorpius snorted, "Too bad you can't do that with Marie."

Eva narrowed her eyes, "I'd rather hug the giant squid."

"Let's go Ev! I'm bored of them," Rose groaned impatiently, tugging at her smaller friend with enough force to pull her a few steps away.

Albus widened his eyes, pretending to be hurt, "Already?"

"Yeah well, I've been stuck with you all summer, Al." Rose snapped, tossing her wild hair over her shoulders.

"And what about me?" Scorpius drawled, leaning into the wall behind them and raising a pale eyebrow.

"You? Let's just say I prefer to save it for the pitch."

Scorpius snorted, "You're just pissed because we kicked your ass last year."

"Kicked _my_ ass!?"

"Okay, okay," Eva said hurriedly, grabbing her fiery friend's arm and hauling her into the bookstore.

* * *

Eva sat across from Rose at the Three Broomsticks, her books piled on the empty chair between them. Once again, Scorpius had come up, and Eva zoned in and out of Rose's various tangents. After four years of rivalry, Eva had heard virtually every nasty thing Rose could think of to say about the Slytherin boy.

"Y'know," Eva said, taking a casual sip of her butter beer, "you could think about being nicer to him this year."

Rose choked on her butter beer, "What? Why? He's a prick. Plus, why are we still talking about Scor-piss again?"

"Well it got pretty nasty between you two last year an-"

"Sweet Merlin. You don't _like_ him do you?"

It was Eva's turn to choke, "No!"

Rose started at her, "Holy. Freakin'. Dragon. Balls. Malfoy?"

"No."

Rose started laughing.

"No seriously!" Eva snapped truthfully.

Rose narrowed her eyes, "So who do you have the hots for then? You got all blush-y when my mum showed you the love potions Uncle George made."

Eva sipped her butter beer carefully. This was a subject she would avoid with Rose at all costs.

"Eva?"

"No one. Really, Rose. I don't like anyone."

Rose narrowed her eyes, "You're a terrible liar. Plus, there is no way that in four years at Hogwarts you haven't met a single person to catch your fancy."

"Fine, then who do you like?"

"Luka Hardy. Ravenclaw beater. Sixth year."

Eva put her head down on the table for a second, "That's not fair. Now I feel bad for lying."

Rose leaned back in her chair smugly, "You should."

"Fine. Eric Abbot."

Rose widened her eyes, "Seriously? Well he is totally in your league. I'd even say you were out of his, if I'm being honest."

Eva took a sip of her butter beer as Rose launched into how they were both going to snag dates for the winter formal this year. Going stag was very fourth year. Eva nodded along, but couldn't help but feel a bit smug. Rose was wrong, she wasn't a bad liar. She just needed to be desperate enough.

"Rose? Eva? Everyone has been looking all over for you."

Eva felt her heart kick into high gear. _Speak of the devil._

James Potter stood behind her. He was wearing a soft blue t-shirt that went marvellously with his reddish hair. It was just tight enough that she could see the muscles in his chest…

 _EVA STOP THINKING ABOUT HIS CHEST RIGHT NOW!_

Eva tried to take another sip of her butter beer to hide her burning face, but choked. She couldn't breathe. Tears were streaming down her face as she struggled to get the liquid out of her screaming lungs.

"Oh my god, Eva!" Rose said in alarm, reaching out to her choking friend.

And then James Potter was rubbing her back.

 _I'm going to die. Right here. Right now._

Slowly regaining her composure, Eva managed to give James the most dignified nod she could, before bending down to gather her bags.

 _Maybe if you stay down here, he will go back to not knowing you exist. Turns out that was actually better._

"You alright now, Ev?" James asked kindly.

 _Fuck. No, I'm not James. I just made a fool of myself in front of you again. I want to die._

"Yes, thank you."

James smiled, "Ok, great. The parents are waiting for you guys near the fountain. I'll see you there."

Eva gave Hermione Granger a big hug, "Hi Mrs. Granger. It's really lovely to see you again."

"Eva, we've known you for almost five years. Please stop calling me Mrs. Granger. Plus, it constantly reminds Ronald that I didn't change my name when we got married. Which is, sadly, something he still hasn't recovered from."

Eva laughed, "Yes, Hermione."

Hermione gave Eva a quick kiss on the head and then looked at her daughter, "Shall we go?"

"Now?" Rose asked, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Hermione nodded, "Of course! We have a broom to buy."

Eva grinned, "A broom?"

Hermione beamed, "Yes, a broom. For being made Prefect."

"What!" Eva shouted, leaping on Rose and giving her the biggest hug she could manage. "Why didn't you tell me in your letters?!"

Rose at least had the decency to blush, "I felt… Well, I was worried you might be…"

"Jealous?" Eva scoffed.

Rose nodded.

"Merlin, Rose. I'm not jealous. You deserve it. Plus, McGonagall knows I'd fail miserably at giving out detentions. Can you imagine me trying to make James write lines? I'd never manage. You're basically a dragon."

Rose grinned and hugged her friend, "Thank you."

"So let's go get you a broom!" Eva shouted, grabbing her friend's hand and towing her towards the shop.

Hermione laughed and walked after the two young witches.

They ran into the Potters almost immediately. Lily Potter raced forward and gave Eva and Rose a hug before giving Rose her congratulations.

"Yes, we are all coming to see Rose get her congratulatory broom," James told Eva with a laugh, while gesturing at his family.

Rose groaned, "We are going to fill up the whole shop."

"Well, now we are," said Ron Weasley, appearing at his daughter's shoulder with Hugo in tow.

Rose groaned, "This is humiliating."

Eva smiled and held the door open for the two families, trying hard not to stop breathing when James slid by her into the tiny broom shop. Eva slipped in after him, trying to convince herself that she was only standing close to him because Rose was busy with her parents up at the front. James smelled like pine and something slightly sweet. Brown sugar?

 _Stop smelling him. Now._

Eva awkwardly pushed past James and went to stand with Albus, who was admiring a new broom.

"Are you going to try out for Quidditch this year?" She asked him, trying to forget about James.

"I might. But honestly, I don't think they'd let me on the team."

"Why, Rose said you're pretty good."

Albus shuffled his feet awkwardly, "They don't exactly love me, Rose. Scorpius got on the team because he's an incredible chaser, and he's pureblood. So it sort of makes up for the fact that he talks to me… But, I think that even if I was the best seeker on the planet they wouldn't want me."

Eva bit her lip, "Try out anyway."

Albus nodded, "Maybe. How about you?"

Eva laughed, "Not a chance."

"How come? You love flying."

"Yeah, flying. Not chucking balls, looking for balls, grabbing balls-" Eva narrowed her eyes. Albus was starting to laugh hysterically.

"Sorry, grabbing balls?"

Eva groaned and smacked him on the shoulder, "Shut it, Al."

He snorted, "No, no. I get it. You like your hands ball-free."

James walked over, "What's so funny?"

"Eva was just telling me about grabbi-"

Eva smacked Albus' shoulder hard enough to knock him backwards a few steps.

Albus grinned and looked like he was about to start in on her again when a chime sounded, signifying more people in the store.

Eva and the Potter brothers looked up to see the Draco and Scorpius Malfoy making their way into the shop. Eva noticed a shiny Prefect badge on Scorpius' chest.

"Scorpius!" Eva said, walking over, "congratulations on being made Prefect."

Scorpius gave her a stiff nod and didn't look at her.

Eva stepped back, feeling a bit hurt.

Draco Malfoy touched the back of his son's neck and steered him towards a shelf of very expensive brooms. He didn't look at her either.

"Malfoy! Eva was talking to you." Rose snarled, suddenly right in front of the two grey-eyed wizards.

Eva winced.

"Ah, you must be Miss. Weasley. How very like your parent's you are," Mr. Malfoy drawled.

Rose stuck out her chin, "Thank you."

"I was referring to your butting in where you aren't wanted."

"Don't you _dare_ talk to my daughter like that," snarled Ron, stepping forward to place a protective hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Don't get overheated Weasley, I was merely making an observation."

"Alright, that's enough. We're adults now," Hermione interjected.

"Are we?" Mr. Malfoy asked, giving Ron a sceptical look.

Harry stepped in and gave Malfoy a scathing look, "You're right, it isn't really appearing that way."

"Why? Because I tried to remind Weasley's daughter of her manners?"

"Yes, because ignoring children is really polite," snapped Ginny.

Malfoy crossed his arms over his chest, "Congratulations, you have me out numbered…again."

"Oh right, because the odds were never in your favour!" Harry hissed.

Heat flushed Hermione's face as she noticed the children all staring at them, "Okay, let's try setting an example for our children, shall we?"

Malfoy tilted his head towards the brooms, "Of course. It must be very exciting for you to be able to buy something now, isn't it, Weasley? Lucky your wife makes some money or you'd be back in that shack."

Ron lunged at Malfoy, as both of them grabbed for their wands.

"Protego!" Hermione shouted, and a powerful shield expanded between the two wizards.

Ron and Malfoy both stopped, breathing heavily. Reluctantly they stowed their wands.

"That's enough!" Hermione snapped, grabbing her daughter and storming out of the store with Ginny.

Harry grabbed Rose's new broom and guided Ron out of the store, "Hugo, Lily, let's go."

Eva looked at Albus, "Merlin, no wonder you and Scorpius don't hang out outside of school. Is it always like that when your families get together?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Come on, we better go."

Eva nodded and hurried out of the store with Albus, glancing back to see Scorpius steered out of view by his father.

* * *

Eva unlocked the apartment door, "Dad? Mum?"

No answer.

 _Mum likes it when dad takes her for a drive. They're probably just going around the block a few times._

Eva brought her new school books into her little bedroom. Her trunk was already packed, so all she needed to do was add her new textbooks and replenish her potions kit. After about 40 minutes she had packed and repacked her trunk twice, and her parents still weren't home. Worry began to gnaw at her insides. Buckling up her trunk and leaning it against the bedroom wall, she made her way into the kitchen and checked the answering machine. Nothing. She looked for a note. Nothing.

 _Where are they?_

Eva walked into her parents' bedroom and looked around. It was messy as usual. With the hospital bed pushed right up beside her parents' usual bed. She knew it was so her parents could hold hands as they went to sleep. They'd fallen asleep holding hands every night since they got married. Well, except for the nights her mum spent at the hospital and the nights her dad had to work.

 _They should be here. There were no appointments today._

Eva could feel herself beginning to shake. Racing into the bathroom she hurled up the lunch she had eaten in Diagon Alley. She vomited until there was nothing coming up and her knees were burning from being on the hard floor.

And then the phone rang.

* * *

Rose ran off the train and back to her parents, her heart was pounding. She knew something had happened. She just knew it. "She still isn't here! The train is going to leave without her. What's going on?"

Hermione looked at her husband and then back at her daughter, "I'm not sure, sweetie. I haven't heard anything from her. The last time you talked to her was yesterday?"

"Yes. When we dropped her off after Diagon Alley."

Hermione nodded and the train's whistle sounded.

"Rose, you've got to get on the train, okay?" Ron said.

"No! I'm not going without her. Something must have happened."

Hermione gripped her daughter's shoulders, "I'm sure she is fine, Rose. They probably just lost track of time, or got stuck in traffic. Remember, the muggle ways of getting places are a lot less reliable."

"Even if she misses the train, McGonagall will make sure she gets to school," Ron added.

Rose nodded slowly, "Okay…"

The whistle sounded again.

"Rose, you need to go!"

Rose bit her lip, torn between waiting for her friend and knowing there was nothing she should do.

 _Eva, you've got to be okay._

"Mum, promise you'll go to her house?"

"I promise."

There was a screech and the train started moving.

"Shit!" Rose exclaimed, turning around and racing towards the train.

The train was moving a lot faster than she thought it was, and soon she was running as hard as she could. It quickly became apparent that she wasn't going to be able to catch up to her car, so she set her eyes on the nearest entrance and pushed her legs faster.

 _MOVE_

Rose could almost reach the railing, but her lungs were burning and she felt like her legs were going to fall off. Stretching out her hand, she struggled to grab a hold of the railing, but she was falling behind again. She couldn't grab on.

Suddenly, an arm grabbed hers and she was being hoisted upwards. Her heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest with fear. The only thing holding her away from the ground was a tight grip on her forearm. Just when she was sure that the person was going to drop her, she was yanked onto the tiny balcony and into someone.

"Some Prefect you are," Scorpius smirked, pulling her into the middle of the platform.

Rose could almost feel her eyes popping out of her head with shock, but she was too tired to do anything but fall back into the shuddering railing and pant. At least she wasn't touching him anymore.

"Wow, this is an amazing new side to you. Loving the silence."

Rose gasped for breath, fury making it even harder to breathe.

Scorpius snorted and smoothed his immaculate robes, "You look like a frog with your mouth open like that."

Rose snarled, "Sh-Shut it."

"Wow, very well crafted. I'm at a loss for words. You've really put me in my place."

"Rose? Scorpius? What are you two doing out here?" Albus asked, poking his head out of the compartment.

"I was just helping your cousin board the train, Al. She was having some trouble finding the door."

"I was not," Rose growled.

Al looked from his friend to his cousin in confusion, "Okay, but…what are you still doing out here?"

"Eva didn't make the train. I was waiting for her on the platform, but everything got going a lot faster than I thought."

"Apparently," quipped Scorpius.

Rose glared at him. He really was insufferable.

"So you'll talk to us when daddy isn't around then, hey?" she hissed.

A stormy look came over Scorpius' face, "You're welcome, I was happy to bloody help."

Scorpius pushed past Albus into the compartment, slamming the door behind him.

"Was that really necessary?" asked Albus. "It did look like he helped you out back there."

"It doesn't bother you that he ignores you whenever his dad is around?"

Albus shrugged, "He's the only Slytherin friend I have. I can't really afford to be picky."

Rose sighed. It really wasn't her problem if he wanted to be friends with that a-hole. If he liked having friends who shit on him whenever their parents were around then there wasn't anything she could do to change that.

"You said Eva missed the train?"

"Yeah."

Albus nodded, looking concerned. "Do you think it has something to do with her mum?"

"Did she say something?"

"No, but I can tell something was wrong. She didn't mention her all summer."

"And she avoided answering me whenever I asked her about her summer," Rose added.

"Me too."

Rose bit her lip, "I'm really worried, Al."

Albus pulled Rose against his side, "Me too."


	5. Chapter 5: The First Defeat

**The First Defeat**

Eva stared at her father as be bent down and placed the urn into the ground. His shoulders were shaking with sobs, but Eva knew that they had both run out of tears. Her mother had been gone for two weeks, but time had lost all baring on their lives.

The funeral was small. Her mother had been raised by her great-aunt, and her father's parents had passed away six years ago. Neither of her parents had any siblings. A few friends of her mother's had attended, but most of them hadn't seen Adriana in a few years, so they hadn't lingered after the service. For the most part, Eva and her father were alone in their grief.

"Come on, dad." Eva whispered, leaning down and lifting her father by the arm. He was a big man, and he put more weight on his daughter than he meant to as he struggled to stand. Eva felt her shoes sink a few inches into the fresh soil. She didn't mind though, it felt good to be helping. They stood in silence for a moment longer, holding each other and staring down at the smooth marker nestled in the fresh dirt.

 _Adriana O'Connor  
03.31.1971-08.31.2021_

" _You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you can still remember dreaming? That's where I'll always love you. That's where I'll be waiting."_

Eva felt a sob well up and then roll back down like the crest of a wave. It settled deep into the bones of her chest like a stone. Her father had slipped to his knees again, and she knew he had found fresh tears. Eva didn't try and move him this time, she just stepped backwards and watched.

 _She's really gone._

Gulping for hair, Eva turned away from her mother's grave for the first time. She wasn't sure if she was going to fall to her knees like her father, or run screaming from the cemetery all the way to the sea. It took her a moment to realize that there were a dozen or so people standing a few feet behind her and her father.

"Hi sweetheart," Ginny Weasley murmured with a soft smile.

Ginny and Harry Potter stood beside Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Lily, Rose, Hugo, James and Albus all stood around them, wearing somber black robes. Lily Potter held flowers in her hands.

"Oh," Eva mumbled, staggering forward a few steps.

And then Rose was there, wrapping her in a tight hug. Eva realized that she was sobbing again, her whole body shaking.

"I was too late," she heard herself wail over and over again into her friend's bushy hair.

"Shh, Eva. Shhh," Rose whispered.

Eva sunk to her knees, bringing her friend with her to the ground. Rose just held her, rocking her back and forth as the sky broke open and rain poured down.

* * *

Eva sat on the edge of the couch, a cup of steaming tea on the coffee table in front of her. Ginny was stroking her hair softly, while Harry, Ron and Hermione sat with her father at the kitchen table. She couldn't hear what they were saying to him, but she was grateful that he had someone other than her to talk to, and that there were people other than them inside their tiny flat. With the Weasleys and Potters filling up the empty space, it almost felt like a home again. Not her home anymore, but at least it felt like it could be someone's. James walked past her, resting his hand on her shoulder for a brief moment before bending down and whispering something into his mother's ear. Eva didn't bother trying to listen, and for the first time James' presence didn't make her heart pound. Ginny nodded at her eldest son and he disappeared down the hallway towards the bedrooms.

"No, up there Lily. To the left."

Eva heard Lily say something to Rose over the gentle clinking of dishes, and she looked over to see Albus and Rose standing at the sink, doing dishes the muggle way. Lily was using a chair to put the clean dishes away in the cupboards and Hugo was wiping the counters.

Eva felt more tears sting her raw cheeks, but she didn't bother trying to wipe them away. She turned to Ginny, "Thank you for coming."

Ginny smiled, "Of course."

Eva nodded. She wasn't really sure why they _had_ come. She was close with Albus, but she hadn't spent any time with his parents. She knew Hermione and Ron far better than Harry and Ginny, and yet it had been Ginny who held her has she cried and insisted that they come over and stay with her and her father for a few hours after the service.

There must have been something of a question on her face, because Ginny gave her hand a squeeze and added, "You've been family since your first day of Hogwarts."

"Oh," Eva said, still not understanding.

"It was almost 3 o'clock in the morning when Harry and I got Al's letter. We could tell he had been crying just by the paper. He told us everything. Meeting you on the train, the sorting ceremony and how no one clapped. That it was you that started clapping first." Ginny had tears in her eyes, "How you walked across the great hall in the middle of supper and told him congratulations. He said that you were the only reason he was brave enough to write us, and the only reason he stayed at Hogwarts that first night."

Eva felt love for her friend swell up inside of her, "I'm lucky to have him."

Ginny nodded, "And we are lucky to have you. You've been a true friend to my son and to my niece. You're an amazing young woman, and my only regret is that I never got to meet the wonderful woman who helped you turn out this way."

Eva leaned forward and buried her face into Ginny's shoulder, "I can't leave him. I can't go back to Hogwarts."

Ginny gave her a tight squeeze, "Yes you can."

"He can't be all alone here."

"He won't be. Ron, Harry, Hermione and I will visit him. Even Neville said he would drop by."

Eva sniffed, "I can't believe she's gone."

"I know, lovey. I know."

After everyone left Eva wandered into her parents' bedroom. Her father had fallen asleep at the kitchen table, and Eva wanted to get the hospice equipment out of the bedroom before he had to sleep there again. She had meant to do it days ago, but neither her not her father had gone in there since her mother died. They had both slept in her room.

But it was gone.

Eva stood there, stunned. All her mother's belongings were still there, but the evidence of sickness had vanished. The room looked like it had last fall, before the cancer came back and spread. And then it dawned on her.

 _James._

That was what he had been doing while the rest of his family sat in the living area.

 _He must have been in here. Vanishing it all._

Suddenly exhausted, Eva crawled up onto the bed and snuggled under the covers. Resting her head on her mother's pillow Eva took a deep breath. It didn't smell like her mum anymore, but thanks to James it didn't smell like sickness either. Eva fell asleep.

* * *

Hogwarts was abuzz with the usual mid-September enthusiasm, as old friends reconnected and homework had not yet mounted into an unconquerable force. Eva sat across from Rose at a small table in the corner of the library, both witches bent over stacks of parchment. Rose still glowed with her summer tan, and her curls were piled tastefully into a bun at the nape of her neck. Eva sat with both knees pulled up against her chest, as if the tiny witch was taking up as little room as possible. She had lost weight over the summer, something Rose had yet to work up the courage to mention, and her blue eyes peered out over deep purple circles.

Rose heaved a stack on notes onto the table, "That pretty much covers everything you missed in Transfiguration."

Eva groaned, eyeing the giant pile, "Merlin, your dad wasn't kidding about O.W.L year. That's only two and a half weeks?"

Rose nodded and pulled out her essay, "Yeah, Professor Howard isn't messing around."

"At least I didn't miss anything in Divination," Eva chuckled, pushing the unopened textbook aside.

"I still can't believe you and Albus are taking that," Rose scoffed.

Eva shrugged, "Better than Arithmancy."

"I'll have you know that Arithmancy is fascinating."

"Yeah, sure… Did I miss much in Potions?" Eva asked, changing the subject away from Rose's beloved Arithmancy.

"Uhg, Potions has been a disaster without you," Rose groaned dramatically.

Eva rolled her eyes, "Please, you're fine at Potions."

"Yeah, but without you there I have to be partners with Eric and he's dreadful." A sly look came over Rose's face, "Maybe you could be his private tutor?"

Eva snorted, "Forgive me if I have enough to catch up on without helping Eric."

"Maybe Eric could help you?" a voice said from behind her.

"Jesus, Al!" Eva snapped, jumping out of her seat.

"I love your muggle swear words," Albus chuckled good-naturedly, leaning over the back of her chair and resting his head playfully on top of hers.

"And what are you hinting at with Eric," Eva asked, narrowing her eyes and pulling her head out from under his.

"Well… a Nargle told me you liked him," Albus said coyly, pulling up a seat beside them.

Eva arched her eyebrows, "What on earth is a Nargle?"

"Don't worry about that," smirked Albus, "tell me about Eric."

Eva groaned inwardly, her lie had not been forgotten. Even worse, Rose had clearly decided to include Albus.

"Wow, how nice of you to share," Eva drawled at Rose, trying to sound annoyed.

Rose looked a little sheepish and organized her notes, "I thought Al could help. You know, give you the guy perspective."

"So did you ask him for advice on how to woo Luca?"

Rose froze.

"What? Luka? As in Luka Hardy? Ravenclaw's official pretty boy?" Albus began to laugh a subtle blush tinged Rose's toffee coloured cheeks.

It was Rose's turn to glare.

Eva leaned back in her chair, feeling smug, "Oh, was that a secret? Oops."

"No, that's fine. I didn't tell Albus because I don't have time for a boyfriend. It is O.W.L year, Eva. You shouldn't think about boys so much," Rose snapped, her voice a little higher than usual.

Eva rolled her eyes and looked at Albus imploringly.

Albus winked at her, "Yup, that's Eva. Boy-brain."

Eva laughed, "Yup, I'm a man-killer."

Albus looked at her, suddenly serious, "You could be, y'know?" He made a funny face and poked her messy hair, "but you might need to invest in a hairbrush."

Eva felt her cheeks flush, and not a nice gentle flush like Rose got, but a full-on face burner.

Albus and Rose laughed.

"It was a complement!" Albus said earnestly. "Really, not everyone has spent as much time watching you be disgusting as Rose and I have. I have it from a first-hand source that some people find you quite fetching."

Eva began collecting her notes, "Come on, Rose. We have to get to Defense."

Albus rolled his eyes, "Wow, you're too embarrassed to want to know who it was?"

"As Rose said, it's O.W.L year. I don't have time for a boyfriend."

Rose laughed, "That's what you get for trying to be nice, Al."

Al nodded, "Apparently."

Eva snatched up her book bag and stalked out of the library without waiting to see if Rose was coming with her.

* * *

Professor Goodwin looked at his class sternly from the front of the room, "As I was mentioning to you last class, fifth year is when you'll be encountering some genuinely challenging defensive spells."

Eva raised her eyebrows at Rose, last year had been pretty challenging.

"What I didn't mention, was that we will also be learning some offensive spells later in the year."

The class murmured with excitement at the mention of offensive spells. Eva had learned a few jinxes, but she hadn't had much cause to practice them. Turns out she absolutely hated cursing people. She had used the bat-bogey hex on Marie once in third year (the girl had made Eva's face break out in horrible purple acne), but even that had left her feeling a bit guilty. She didn't like being petty, and unlike Rose, she found confrontation exhausting. Rose on the other hand seemed to excel at rivalry, and Eva had seen her friend use quite a few well-aimed jinxes over the years.

"Now, a lot of teachers don't believe in teaching a bunch of hormone-crazed teachers offensive spells, but I think differently. You see, from my experience as a teacher, and even as a student, I know that kids will duel no matter what. The only thing me teaching you offensive spells will change, is that you'll think twice before using them."

The class was now completely silent.

"However, I want to make sure that you are all able to perform the staple defensive spells required to pass your O. _before_ we move on to offense."

The class moaned.

"So," Goodwin shouted, making his students jump, "the best way to get me to teach you some offense is to master your defensive spells."

Everyone nodded.

"So," he continued, "we spent the last two weeks making sure everyone can successfully stun and disarm an opponent, and today we will be moving on to Impedimenta. This one has come by special request of Professor Hagrid, who says it is extremely important for slowing down magical creatures that you don't want to harm. Now, I know not all of you are taking Care of Magical Creatures this term, but it is still a valuable spell that you may find yourself using while out and about in the world. Please find yourself a partner, and then direct your attention to the front. I will demonstrate a few times before you get started. Once you feel confident in your ability to slow down your opponent, I want you to practice using the shield charm that we went over yesterday and try and block your partner's attack."

* * *

Eva felt like she was struggling through jell-o as she tried to reach Rose. Her friend was laughing.

"This spell is hilarious!"

Eva tried to speak, but her tongue felt like it had turned into a sock.

 _This is infuriating._

Rose was now howling with laughter as Eva tried to throw her leg forward.

 _If you don't use the counter-curse now I'm going to transfigure all your underwear into mice._

"Okay, okay," Rose wheezed, performing the counter-curse.

Eva tumbled forwards onto the ground, barely getting her hands up in time to break her fall.

 _Definitely turning all your underwear into mice._

"Oops, Goodwin should have put cushions down."

"Yes, that would have been nice," Eva snapped, climbing to her feet.

Rose stuffed her wand into her pocket, "Okay, your go."

"Impedimenta!"

Rose lurched forward slowly, though faster than Eva had.

Eva giggled, "You're right. This is pretty funny."

After an hour more of practicing, both Eva and Rose could consistently slow each other down, and each of them had tried casting a shield charm to block the spell, although that was less successful.

On Rose's third failure at casting a shield charm, she grew frustrated, "This is ridiculous! I could just disarm you."

"Yes, Miss. Weasley, but if you're attacked you'll want to be able to block any unfriendly spells coming your way," Professor Goodwin mused, eyeing the fiery young witch.

Rose bit her lip angrily.

"Why don't we switch for a bit?" Eva asked, knowing her friend was very close to losing her temper.

Rose nodded, "Okay. Ready?"

Eva nodded.

"Impedimenta!"

"Protego!" Eva yelled, and to her surprise a glimmering shield appeared, deflecting Rose's curse before vanishing.

Rose started at her, "Damn. You rocked that."

"Indeed," Professor Goodwin chucked, walking over to the two girls, "that was a surprisingly powerful shield charm. Have you worked on that one before this, Miss. O'Connor?"

"No, sir. Just today," Eva answered honestly.

"Well done then. Keep practicing and try and hold it up for longer."

By the end of class Rose had successfully performed the shield charm twice, and Eva had managed it almost every time. They were both completely starving when they arrived in the great hall for their evening feast.

Eva threw herself down on the bench and was about to begin heaping potatoes onto her plate when she heard him laughing.

"Crissy, come on. Stop it, it just stays that way," James Potter laughed, batting Crystal Worthy's hands away from his hair.

"It's so messy! If you just let me tame it a bit…"

"Tame? Never," and he pulled Crystal towards him and kissed her.

Half the Gryffindor table must have been cheering, but Eva could feel her heart shrivelling as she watched James run his hands over Crystals back and through her beautiful brown hair. She really was beautiful.

 _What did you expect? He's beautiful. She's beautiful. They're both seventeen. He's had girlfriends before, why are you letting this bother you? Because he vanished it all. He knew and he cared._

Eva tried to look away but she couldn't.

 _Yeah. Cared about you like a sister. Like a little sister._

"Ooooooooo!" Rose cat-called, jolting Eva out of her revere.

"Look at James, snogging away."

Eva quickly swallowed her heart and put on what she hoped was a convincing grin, "Yeah."

"He might never come up for air," Rose giggled.

"We'll have to make sure they don't pass out," Eva tried to laugh, and silently thanked Merlin that her friend was too busy making faces too pay too much attention to her.

"Shoot!" Eva exclaimed in mock panic, "I left my DA textbook in the classroom!"

Rose scoffed, "You'd seriously forget head if it wasn't attached. You better go get it before Filtch nicks it."

Eva pretended to give her plate a mournful look before hoping off the bench with her bag. Hastily stuffing her DA textbook deeper into the depths she quickly walked out of the great hall.

"You're pathetic," she murmured to herself, sinking into a bench around the corner from the great hall. She put her head in her hands, and rubbed her eyes furiously.

 _You've had real things to cry about, and you're going to let this upset you? Pathetic._

"O'Connor?"

Eva froze.

 _Fuck._

"Eva?"

Scorpius Malfoy stood in front of her, his eyes narrowed.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she snapped.

"Wow, last name. Very Rose Weasley."

"I'm not in the mood."

"I noticed," Scorpius remarked, sitting down beside her.

Eva refused to look at him. The last thing she wanted was Scorpius seeing her cry. He really could be such an ass.

 _Come on now, Eva. It isn't his fault James looks at you like a little sister and has his hands all over Crystal._

"Look, I'm sorry I snapped at you, Scorpius," she sighed.

"You shouldn't let it get to you. He's a cocky prick, and Crystal is a bimbo."

Eva snapped her had up and started at Scorpius in horror, "T-This has nothing, nothing to do with him. I am ju-"

"Don't bother trying to lie, you're terrible at it," Scorpius cut her off. "You have an expressive face."

Eva groaned, "How?"

"How do I know you've been nursing a soft spot for him since you were twelve? Because I have eyes Eva." Scorpius leaned back into the stone wall and ran his hand through his pale hair.

"Did you tell Al?"

"No," Scorpius looked at her, "I didn't really think it was any of his business."

Rose sighed, "Thank you."

"Does Rose know?"

"No. Just you."

Scorpius nodded, "I know it must suck to see him Crystal, but it's probably for the best. You didn't stand much of a chance to begin with."

Eva inhaled sharply, hurt.

"Sorry, that's not -."

"No," Eva said quickly, "I get it. You don't think I'm pretty enough to stand a chance with him."

"That's not –"

But Eva was on a role, "I guess it's probably my dirty blood right? You probably have a hard time seeing past that."

"How did this become about whether or not I found you attractive?"

Eva ignored him, she wasn't sure how this had happened, but the anger was burning away her hurt, "That's why you didn't talk to me when your dad showed up at the broom shop? Because I'm a, a _mudblood_." Eva swallowed, she had no idea that the event in Diagon Alley had bothered her.

The silence crackled between them.

"You shouldn't use that word," Scorpius said quietly.

"Why not?" Eva asked, horrified when she realized that she sounded on the verge of tears, "That's what you think of me, isn't it?" The anger was coming back and pushing away the tears again, "You j-"

"Would you shut up for a moment?" Scorpius roared.

Eva stopped, stunned. She had never heard Scorpius raise his voice before.

"Sorry."

Scorpius sighed, "I didn't not talk to you in the store because you're muggle-born. I didn't talk to you because my dad hates the Potters and the Weasleys. Really, really hates them. And he hates that I even talk to Albus, so I try and avoid flaunting my relationship with you guys when I'm around my father. I know you probably think that's cowardly of me, but he gives me a really hard time about Al and I don't have the energy to fight with him all the time."

Eva swallowed, "It really wasn't because of me?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "Everything isn't about you, O'Connor."

"Last name?" She laughed a little.

Scorpius chuckled dryly, "Touché, Eva."

She groaned, "I just behaved like an idiot didn't I?"

"You did. And, for fear of you snapping my head off again, I didn't say you didn't have a chance with Potter because you aren't pretty enough for fucks sake. I said that because he's known you since you were eleven, and you're best friends with his little brother and his cousin. Doesn't exactly give you great sex-appeal."

"So," Eva said slyly, "you think I'm attractive then."

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "You're not a troll, I'll give you that."

Eva smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, "You're actually a good guy, y'know that?"

She could almost feel him roll his eyes when he said, "I'm not bad."

"For a Slytherin," she quipped.

He laughed, "For a Slytherin."

She paused for a second, realizing something, "Scorpius… Why were you out in the hallway?"

He looked down at her, "You just lost your mother, Eva. You think I was going to let you sit out here by yourself and think about Potter necking that siren?"

Eva swallowed a lump in her throat, "Thanks."

He nodded and put an arm around her, "Don't mention it."


	6. Chapter 6: A Prediction

_Hey! This chapter is a bit shorter than I had intended, but this felt like a fitting place to end. Please note that I am using this website wiki/List_of_spells, for my reference. Any translations that may happen are directly from here! I do not know Latin_

 **A Prediction**

The first November snows were falling thickly outside, clinging to the windows and streaming into the great hall every time a student pushed through the doors. Rose however, hadn't noticed. She sat in the Arithmancy classroom tapping her foot irritably on the floor. Professor Vector was thirteen minutes late, and Rose had about forty questions for her about their upcoming assignment.

 _She should have clarified her criteria. This assignment is complete dragon balls._

"You'd think she could at least be on time," Rose complained to Charlotte, her fellow Gryffindor.

"I wonder if something happened. She hasn't seemed well lately," Charlotte mused, sounding concerned.

Rose snorted impatiently, "I doubt it."

 _She has probably noticed her assignment doesn't make sense and is trying to fix it._

Blake Creevey leaned over to the two girls, "Charlotte is right, she really has seemed tired lately."

Rose frowned. She hadn't noticed anything.

 _Woman probably fell asleep in her breakfast tea again._

The sound of quick footsteps alerted the three teenagers to Headmistress McGonagall.

"Professor?"

"Miss. Weasley, Miss. Bones, Mr. Creevey. I'm afraid Professor Vector passed away this afternoon."

Rose's Jaw dropped.

 _She's dead. She's dead and you've been complaining about her all morning._

"Merlin's beard," breathed Blake.

Rose couldn't believe it.

 _You're a horrible person, Weasley._

Charlotte was now crying beside her.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," sighed the headmistress. "There, there, Miss Bones. I assure you, she passed during her afternoon nap and would have felt nothing."

Charlotte was now crying hysterically.

McGonagall hurriedly patted Charlotte's shoulder, "She was just shy of her 101st birthday. She lived a long and happy life."

 _Maybe she will come back as a ghost and teach forever like Professor Bins?_

The image made Rose giggle.

 _OH MY GOD, DID YOU JUST LAUGH?! A WOMAN IS DEAD YOU MONSTER!_

Charlotte was now inconsolable.

McGonagall sat down beside Charlotte and put her arm around the shaking girl before turning to Rose.

 _She heard you laugh and now she's going to put you in Slytherin._

 _Albus is in Slytherin! Stop thinking of it as a bad thing._

 _It is sort of a bad thing._

 _Shut it!_

"Miss. Weasley?"

Rose snapped back to McGonagall. The professor was clearly waiting for her to say something, "Um, sorry?"

McGonagall gave her a sharp look, "I said, that if you're feeling all right, I would like you to make your way to either Professor Trelawney's Divination Class, or to Professor Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures lesson."

Rose nodded, "Yes, professor."

Blake picked up Rose's books and passed them to her along with her book bag, "let's give 'em some space, hey?" He said, nodding to a sobbing Charlotte.

Rose nodded, "Yes. Definitely."

The two teenagers hurried out of the classroom and down the corridor. Once they were well away from the classroom Rose whirled to face Blake, "I can't believe she's, she's…"

"Dead?" Blake asked.

"Yes!" screeched Rose.

They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Jeez, we'd make Dementors cry!" exclaimed Blake, still clutching his sides.

"I know," Rose gasped, "I don't know why I'm laughing. I feel terrible."

Blake shook his head, "Me too." He seemed to think for a moment, "Y'know, I did this when my grandmother died."

"What?" Rose asked, sobering slightly.

"I laughed when she died. My brothers and my mum and I were all in her room when she went. Everyone was crying and I started laughing."

"Maybe it's a nervous reaction," Rose suggested.

Blake shrugged, "Hopefully. That or I'm a psychopath."

 _He's right. You're probably both Psychopaths_

Rose shrugged.

"We better get to a class. You thinking Magical Creatures or Div?"

Rose groaned, "Neither. My best friend is in Div, but I'd sort of rather choke on slugs than sit through one of those classes. And I'm not really an animal person to be honest."

"Hagrid is friends with your parents isn't he?"

"Yeah. I told him I wasn't taking Care of Magical Creatures so that I could take Arithmancy."

Blake laughed, "Sounds like you have your answer then."

 _Oh goody. Blast-ended screwts._

When Rose and Blake arrived on the grounds, they were both freezing and not at all in the mood to spend the next period ankle deep in a snowdrift. Hagrid was talking animatedly to a small number of bored looking fifth years, and didn't seem to mind the snow at all. Nearing the small group, Rose recognized the Hufflepuff twins, Louise and Laura Nord, and Marco Lawrence, who was the Ravenclaw seeker. Getting closer, she noticed a lean white-blond wizard slouching against the side of Hagrid's hut. Rose narrowed her eyes.

"Malfoy."

"Weasley," Scorpius smirked.

"Hey now," Hagrid said hurriedly, welcoming the newcomers, "let's not get frosty."

"Fat chance," Scorpius said quietly.

Rose stuck out her tongue before realizing how immature that was, and hastily turned to face Hagrid. She ignored Scorpius' snicker and tried to focus on the lesson.

"Well, as I was saying. This year we are going to have a bit of a term project. I recently ran into a bloke who had four orphaned Puffskeins." Hagrid beamed, "Fellow was mighty happy to give 'em to my class."

"Puffskeins! They're so cute," Laura cooed.

Marco snored, "Yeah but what are we supposed to do with orphaned, Puff-what's-its?"

"Puffskiens," snapped Louise.

"As I was saying," Hagrid went on, "they got left by their mother real early in life, so they're gonna need some help if they're gonna survive. Each pair will be given a little Puffskein and some formula, and at the end of term your grade will be assigned based on how healthy your Puffskein is."

Rose craned her neck to see the box Hagrid was holding. Four tinny balls of various colours seemed to be sleeping inside. They were very fluffy.

 _They actually are quite cute._

"Now, because they're babies, they can only be alone for a few hours at a time before they need feeding. So that means you and your partner will need to organize a schedule for care time."

 _Wait, what?_

"Wait, hold on," Scorpius cut in, "you mean we have to have these things with us _outside_ of this class?"

Hagrid beamed, "That's the idea. You'll be like their mother, see?" Hagrid lifted up a tiny brown Puffskein and blew on it softly.

 _What the hell am I supposed to do with that at Quidditch practice?_

The Puffskein emitted a soft purring noise.

 _I should have picked Divination. I wonder if it would be insensitive to ask McGonagall when they'll find a new Arithmancy teacher._

"Alright," Hagrid said, whistling to get the classes' attention, "divide into pairs."

Rose turned to Blake.

 _Shit._

Blake was already talking with Marco. The two of them were clearly friends.

 _Double shit._

The twins were obviously going to partners.

"Ah, that leaves you and Mr. Malfoy," Hagrid said, clearly very close to laughing.

 _You've got to be kidding me._

Rose glared at Scorpius and refused to move towards him. She was not going to play mommy to a Puffskein with Scorpius bloody Malfoy.

 _You just had to kick it today, hey professor?_

"Shall we pick our little snuggle muffin then," Scorpius said, looking pleased.

"You're not actually enjoying this, are you?" Rose snarled.

Scorpius snorted, "I wasn't, but then I noticed how uncomfortable you were at the prospect of being my partner, so I decided to be the bigger person. You know, maturity and all."

Rose stormed away, and snatched the Puffskein box from Hagrid.

The last Puffskein looked significantly scruffier than the rest.

"Ah, Rose. I was hoping you'd get that one. He's my favorite. Gets picked on by the other ones, poor little tyke," Hagrid crooned.

 _Bloody brilliant._

Rose snatched the pathetic Puffskein out of the box and stalked back to Scorpius.

Eva yawned and leaned back into the puffy armchair, struggling desperately to listen to Professor Trelawney ramble on about "visions of the beyond."

A snore from her left made her realize that Albus was asleep.

 _At least someone's enjoying themselves._

* * *

O

* * *

Divination was the most popular elective by far, but Eva suspected that was because Trelawney had a habit of giving high grades to anyone with a good enough imagination. That was certainly why Albus was taking the class.

"Students, please make your way over to the crystal balls and select one that you feel touching your innermost soul. That is the one destined to show you the secrets of the future," Trelawney whispered mistily.

Eva groaned and pulled herself groggily upright before giving Albus' shin a gentle kick, "Wake up, Al. We've got a future to analyze."

"Huh," Al snorted, jerking awake.

Eva rolled her eyes and went over to the shelf, grabbing a crystal ball. She eyed it suspiciously before setting it down in front of Albus.

"I think this one has a chip in it," Albus remarked, gazing at it.

"I thought I saw something."

They both dissolved into laughter until an ancient Trelawney shushed them angrily, "You will not be seeing into the beyond with that kind of attitude!"

Albus rolled his eyes and bent down to stare at the orb.

Eva bent down across from him, "Hey, Al?"

"What?"

"I can see your nose. You've got four nostrils."

Al began laughing again, "Yeah, well you've got a third eye."

"That's the idea, isn't it?" grinned Eva.

"Ha! Very true."

After a while their laughter died away and Eva stared into the crystal ball in silence. She missed her mother.

 _Don't start thinking about that._

 _Right._

Eva took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind. The last thing she wanted was to give Trelawney a reason to notice her again. A few weeks previous the old insect had informed Clara that her mother was in terrible danger, and it took about three seconds for Marie to point out that Eva's muggle mother was already dead.

Rubbing her eyes Eva focused in on the crystal ball. She could feel a slight tingling sensation behind her eyes and was about to rub them again when…

 _It was night. A tall man was standing in the middle of an empty street. Rain was pouring down, drenching him. He pointed his wand up into the sky._

" _Morsmordre!"_

Eva gasped and shoved herself away from the table, "Holy shit."

Albus perked up and looked at her over the crystal ball, "What?"

"I just saw something!" Eva could feel her heart smashing into her ribcage with nauseating force.

Albus smirked, "I'm not that easy of a mark, Ev. I live with James, remember?"

"I'm bloody serious, Albus."

Albus straightened up, looking closer at his friend's terrified expression, "Merlin's trousers, you did, didn't you?"

Eva nodded.

Al let out quiet whistle, "What'd you see?"

"A man. He was throwing a spell into the sky."

"What spell?"

"I didn't see what it was, I only heard the incantation."

"Do you remember it?"

"Yeah," Eva shuddered, "I feel like it's burned into the roof of my mouth. Morsmordre."

"Morsmordre," Albus mumbled. "I haven't heard it before."

Eva shuddered, suddenly cold.

"You don't have seer in your family, do you?"

Eva glared at him.

"Ah. Right. Muggle-born. Stupid question." Al scratched his already messy head, "You said you used to get premonitions and stuff when you were a kid though, right?"

Eva shrugged, "Yeah, but stupid stuff. Like, I always knew who was calling no matter what, and I knew if my dad was going to get called in to work on the weekends. Or what the weather would be. Useless stuff."

"But you also said you knew that your mum was sick. You know, before the doctors did," Albus ventured cautiously.

Eva sighed, "Yeah but that was a feeling, Al. I saw this. Like I was right there, standing behind him. I could feel the rain on my skin."

He nodded, "Um, should we tell Trelawney?"

Eva started to laugh, "No, Al. We should definitely not tell Trelawney."

* * *

O

* * *

Rose squinted against the onslaught of rain. Her hair had come lose from its braid and now whipped at the side of her face relentlessly, making her think for the thousandth time about shaving it all off. There was no way she was ever going to see the snitch in this.

 _This is what I get for complaining about an early snow, giant's piss rain._

Rose could hear James yelling over the gale.

"Alright, pack it up, team!"

Rose groaned with relief and angled her broom down, battling against the wind until she reached the entrance of the change room. Jumping off her broom, Rose shoved her way inside with the rest of the bedraggled Gryffindor team.

"Alright, so that was a rough practice," James acknowledged, rubbing the water out of his hair.

"No bloody shit, captain!" shouted Beckham, one of the Gryffindor beaters.

"I don't think I'll ever dry off," groaned Nina, ripping off her robes and wrapping herself in a towel.

"My ass chafed, James. I have ass chafe," grumbled Cooper.

Rose grabbed a fluffy red towel and began pulling off her robes, "The snitch is gone. I'm sorry, but I'm not going back out there to find it."

"Okay, okay, I get it," James acknowledged, "You're all miserable. Remember, it is very important that we train in these kinds of conditions because-"

"You'll bet all the other teams are," Rose echoed along with Mel, Nina, Cooper, Alice and Beckham.

James grinned, "See, you don't even need me."

Rose rolled her eyes and finished pulling on her school robes. One of her favorite things about the team was that there was never any weirdness between them. They all changed together, fought together and genuinely loved each other. Cooper and Beckham had been beaters since she joined the team in second year, and they felt like the older brothers she had missed out on. Nina, Mel and Alice were all best friends, as well as a solid group of chasers. James had been made Quidditch Capitan in his fifth year, and was the best keeper Gryffindor had had in years. Rose had no idea who was going to take over for him when he finished school.

"The cup is ours this year," James said sternly.

Rose nodded seriously. She knew that James had taken their defeat to the Slytherin's particularly hard last year, and she still felt guilty over losing the snitch to Marie Zabini. It was a moment that still haunted her.

 _This year will be different. You trained harder and longer all summer. You're better than her._

"Impervius," she muttered, directing her wand at her robes before picking up her gear, giving Cooper and Beckham a quick high-five, and shouldering her way out into the storm.

* * *

Eva sat on the edge of Rose's four poster bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. They were hidden by the thick red curtains around Rose's bed, and illuminated by their wands. Rose had been smart enough to suggest casting _muffliato_ before starting their conversation. Eva didn't want the other Gryffindors who shared their dorm, to hear.

"Holy smokes," Rose breathed.

Eva had just finished relaying the events of the day's divination class to her flabbergasted friend.

"Morsmordre?" Rose murmured, clearly racking her brain for the spell.

"Al hadn't heard of it either," Eva said, pulling her knees closer into her body.

Rose pulled a book up of the floor and began leafing through it, "Do you have any idea what it was supposed to do?"

"No. None. He was pointing into the sky with his wand."

Rose nodded, "So maybe a signal? Like a form of _Periculum_?"

"Or some sort of shield," Eva suggested, beginning to search through her Defensive Spells book.

It was almost three o'clock in the morning when Eva threw her book down, "I don't think it's in here at all. I've checked _Defending Against Darkness_ twice, _The Standard Book of Spells_ …"

"And it's not in _Advanced Magical Charms_ either," Rose sighed, snapping the book shut.

The girls sat in silence for a moment.

"Alright, that's it for me. I'm going to bed," Eva yawned, completely exhausted.

"Okay, I'm going to stay up a little longer, I still have a few ideas."

Eva smiled, Rose was incredibly stubborn, "Yeah, okay. Wake me if you find it."

Eva slid off her friend's bed and ducked out into the dark dormitory. She could hear Tara's gentle snores, and Becky was talking in her sleep again. Eva smiled. She wasn't as close to the other Gryffindor girls as Rose was, but she still enjoyed having so many people in their dorm. She missed the chaos when she went home for the summers. Eva crawled onto her bed and fell asleep instantly.

* * *

"Eva!" a voice hissed.

"Mm?" Eva grumbled, opening her eyes to see Rose hovering above her. The pre-dawn light was illuminating her friend's tired face. Eva rubbed her eyes groggily.

"Are you awake?"

Eva suddenly remembered why Rose must be waking her and sat bolt-upright, "You found it?"

"Not exactly," Rose acknowledged, pulling a piece of paper out from a battered looking textbook that Eva hadn't seen before. "My mum got me this book for Christmas last year because she knew I found the etymology of spells fascinating."

"The what?"

"The origin of word meaning."

Eva nodded, "Okay, so you… translated the spell?"

"I think so. Here," she showed Eva the piece of paper she was holding. It was covered in scratched out words, but one phrase was circled.

 _To take a bite out of death._


	7. Chapter 7: Loyalties

**Loyalties**

Rose and Eva raced down the stairs towards the great hall. They were too early for breakfast, but Rose had suspected that the teachers might have come down already.

"You really think we need to tell someone?" Eva asked, out of breath from trying to keep up with her friend's long legs.

"Yes! Listen, my parents could have avoided a ton of disasters if they had told their professors about all the weird stuff that happened to them. Your vision definitely qualifies!"

Eva was now gasping for air, "Slow down, Rose! We'll tell them, but not if I die first."

They rounded a corner and smashed into Albus, who looked equally out of breath.

Albus' glasses were askew, and robes hung off him in a way that made Eva think he had thrown them on in the dark. His green eyes were bright with intensity, "Eva! This is what you saw," Albus shoved the Daily Prophet into her arms.

Eva looked down at the headline.

 _Dark Mark Cast: First time in thirty-three years._

The picture showed the night sky lit up by a skull bathed in eerie green light. A serpent was coiling out of the skull's black mouth.

"Holy shit," Eva gasped.

Albus was shaking, " _Morsmordre_ , it's the spell for conjuring Voldemort's mark."

"That's why we couldn't find it anywhere," Rose breathed, grabbing the article from Eva's hands and staring down at the ominous words.

"But, but," Eva choked, "he's gone. Your dad killed him."

Albus nodded, "Yeah, I know."

"It's one of his loony followers trying to scare everyone," Rose snapped, suddenly shoving the paper back at Albus with a fierce glint in her eye. "This is just some wack-o trying to frighten us."

Albus nodded slowly, "Yeah. I hope so."

Eva felt her heart hammering in her chest. Her life hadn't been affected by the Last Wizarding War like her friends', but she still knew that the casting of Voldemort's mark meant something dark and twisted was coming.

 _And you saw it before it happened._

Eva trembled.

Rose had snatched the paper back again, "Al, your dad is interviewed in here."

"I know," he nodded, "your mum too. They were the first to respond after it was cast."

Rose scanned the paper frantically, "No one was killed though."

"I thought it was only cast after the Death Eaters killed someone," Eva asked Albus tentatively, aware her knowledge on the subject was extremely lacking.

"It was, but the paper says no one was even hurt, it just appeared in the middle of the night. Sent up quite a panic, but… that was it."

"They might not have published everything," Rose practically shouted, suddenly looking panic-stricken, "more could have happened since then."

"Rose, wa-" Albus began.

But Rose was already sprinting down the hallway.

* * *

O

* * *

Rose pounded up the twisting stairs to the owlry, dimly aware of Albus and Eva shouting after her to wait for them.

 _What if there was a second attack? What if mum's hurt and they just didn't say anything. Or didn't know._

She just reached the final flight of stairs when a body slammed into hers and sent her tumbling down the stairs, her shoulder smashing painfully on the stone wall. She heard a muffled grunt and realized that the other person must have come down with her.

Rose looked up to see Scorpius Malfoy pulling himself to his feet, and suddenly she was screaming, "Going to see if you can join up like your stupid father?"

Scorpius flinched like she had slapped him, and then a look of pure rage took over his usually calm face. "You stupid, bitch!" he shouted furiously.

Rose could hear Eva and Al pounding up the stairs get to them.

She struggled to her feet, "Don't call me bitch, you scum bag!"

" _Impedimenta!"_ Scorpius roared, blasting Rose backwards into the wall again.

She reached for her wand furiously, " _Incarcerous!"_

" _Protego!"_

A powerful force field expanded between Scorpius and Rose as Eva rounded the corridor, her wand outstretched.

Rose and Scorpius stood staring at each other, both shaking with rage. The shield pulsing between them like a giant heart.

"I am so sick of your never-ending shit, Weasley! I am here because I wanted to make sure my father was alive you, so take your assumptions and shove them up your ass!"

"Shut up!"

"I'll talk to you however I bloody well like!"

"Why would you be worried about your Death Eater father anyways, Malfoy?" Rose snarled.

"Because he isn't a Death Eater anymore, you idiot! As soon the war ended he dropped all that. He dropped his old friends, he dropped the pure-blood mania, he dropped everything!" Scorpius looked quite deranged now. His usual poise was disrupted by the rage colouring his cheeks and the spit flying out of his mouth.

Rose's mouth went dry. She had never made him lose it like this before. Never. She felt a flicker of fear in her chest.

"My mother isn't the only reason I don't hate muggle-borns you know! It was my father too. He didn't want me having to grow up under all that hate like he had to do! He knew it would ruin me, that it would rot me from the inside. That it would put me with bad people," Scorpius was visibly shaking. "And he made a lot of enemies doing it. More dangerous people than your lot want him punished for testifying against other Death Eaters after Voldemort's downfall."

Rose hadn't even noticed that the shield separating them had vanished.

"And here," Scorpius spat, stalking up to her and thrusting the baby puffskein into her trembling hands, "I named it Baggage, which suits you perfectly."

Rose clutched the trembling puffskein in her hands and watched Scorpius storm past Eva and Albus.

 _You really crossed the line this time, Weasley._

"Scorpius!" Albus called, running down the stone steps after his friend.

Rose chewed her lip as Eva came over and gave her shoulder a gentle pat.

"Rose, I know you don't like him, and you're worried about your family but…"

"I just acted like a real prat," Rose concluded quietly.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so."

Rose nodded, "I'm going to write my parents. I'll see you back in the common room."

Eva nodded, "Sure."

Rose slid down the wall once Eva disappeared around the corner. She was grateful that her friend had recognized the dismissal. She wanted to be alone.

* * *

O

* * *

Eva sat cross-legged on the big armchair by the fire, absent mindedly flipping through her Potions essay. She had been back in the common room for fifteen minutes before remembering that they still hadn't told anyone about her vision in Divination.

 _Oh well. Point is definitely moot now._

"Eva?"

Eva looked up to see James standing above her, the fire throwing shadows along the rough red stubble on his jaw. He had undone the top two buttons of his dress-shirt, and his red and gold tie hung casually around his shoulders.

 _Do you think he knows how beautiful he is?_

 _I'm sure Crystal's mentioned it._

"What can I do for you, James?" Eva asked, sounding more indifferent than she felt.

James sat down across from her, "I was just wondering where you got that?" He gestured to the sleeping puffskein in her lap.

"Oh, it's Rose's. She has to raise it with Scorpius Malfoy for their term project in Care of Magical Creatures."

James snorted with laughter, "Oh man, you're kidding?"

"No," she paused, considering the tiny fluff ball, "though, to be honest, I'll probably be the one looking after it now."

"Why is that?"

"Scorpius and Rose had a row this morning."

"And that surprises you? They'll get over it. Don't do her homework for her, Ev."

Eva shrugged, "It was actually pretty vicious, I feel bad leaving Baggage in a broken home."

James chuckled, "Baggage?"

"Yeah, that's what Scorpius named it… I sort of think Rose inspired him."

James dissolved into laughter.

Eva couldn't help but laugh with him. He was even more beautiful when he laughed. It seemed to take over his whole body, making his shoulders shake and tears well up in his brilliant brown eyes. He grinned like a little boy, running his hands through his messy hair. It was impossible not to love him.

 _Wait, love him? No. Admire, maybe. Pathetic school-girl crush, definitely. Love, no._

"So you're playing mom to a puffskein, that's very sweet of you," James said, still grinning.

"Mm," she stroked the puffskein so she's have something to do besides look at him.

"You sure you don't mind doing that for them?"

"No," she answered honestly, "I love animals. I've always wanted one."

"A puffskein?"

"No," she laughed, the tension fading from her limbs, "a dog. I had one as a little kid."

James smiled, "I didn't know that."

"Yeah, we named him Lion because he was golden brown and huge. He used to sleep in my bed and he always knew what I was feeling… he was my first real friend." She bit her lip, "He died right before my mum got sick."

James reached towards her, his hand swallowing hers, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad."

Eva realized with horror that there were tears pricking her eyes, "Oh, don't worry about it. You didn't." She hastily looked for a way to change the subject.

 _But he's holding your hand._

"So your family is staying here for Christmas?"

James took his hand back, "Yeah! The whole crew is here this year."

Eva tried not to miss the warmth of his hand, "That's great."

"So are you coming?"

"What?"

"My mother wants you and your father to have Christmas with us."

Eva stared at him, shocked. "She does?"

"Yeah, she told me she'd written you this morning as well." James looked confused, "She already talked with your dad and everything. They were just waiting on you."

"I didn't get breakfast this morning. The news in the Prophet threw me off."

A stormy look came over James' face. His warm eyes suddenly seemed full of fire, "Bloody monsters."

"I'm sorry, James. I know it must be especially hard for your family."

He was quiet for a moment, "Yeah. It's mum that I worry about the most. It's a miracle my dad survived the war, and I know she would have wanted him choose to a different career after it was all over. She must be so afraid. She never cries or anything," he added quickly, "but I remember the first raid my dad went on as an Auror where someone died. We didn't know if it was dad or not yet, just that someone had gone down. She just sat at the kitchen table without moving. She never said a word when he came home, but I could tell she would have never recovered if he hadn't walked through that door."

It was Eva's turn to take his hand, "They'll be okay."

"I don't think it was just a joke, Ev."

"Neither do I," her spine tingled. It was the same _knowing_ she had experienced as a child. The kind of certainty that came with magic.

A smash from the girls' dormitory made them both look up. Rose was storming down the stairs, her bushy hair fanned out around her head like a mane.

Eva stood up, "Rose?"

"Don't distract me. I've resolved to be the bigger person."

Eva arched her eyebrows as Rose flew out the portrait hole, slamming it hard enough that the Fat Lady shrieked in irritation.

"Broomsticks, she's off in a hurry. What was that all about?" James asked.

Eva chuckled, the dark overshadow momentarily forgotten, "I think Rose Weasley is about to apologize to Scorpius Malfoy for being a prat.

James roared with laughter.

* * *

O

* * *

Rose arrived at the entrance to the Slytherin common room before she realized that she had no way of getting in.

"Great plan, Rose. Really well thought out," she snapped at herself.

Just when she was about to turn around, three Slytherin sixth years appeared in the hallway. They slowed as they reached her. All of them looked way too excited for her liking. She put her hand in her pocket and rested a hand on her wand.

"Boys, I believe we have a little, lost lion cub on our hands," Amos Knott purred.

 _Idiot. This is what you get for trying to be a better person._

"I was looking for Malfoy," she grumbled, realizing how ridiculous she looked waiting outside the Slytherin common room for someone to let her inside.

 _Little lost lion cub indeed._

A slow grin broke across Amos' face, "Ah, the Gryffindor poster-child searching for our Slytherin fence-sitter. Looking to sway him to the light, perhaps?"

"We have a class project together for Care of Magical Creatures. I need to talk to him about it," Rose snapped, figuring the class project route was the least shaming.

One of the Slytherin boys whose name she didn't know, reached out a hand and pulled one of her tight curls, "She's not bad… for the whelp of a mudblood and a blood-traitor."

Rose snarled and slapped his hand away, "Don't you dare speak about my parents."

"Or what?" The other boy drawled, "Going to take some points from us, little prefect?"

"I'll do more than that," she hissed, gripping her wand tightly. She didn't care if she was outnumbered, she'd show them what the daughter of a mudblood and blood-traitor could do.

Amos rolled his eyes and put a hand on his friend's chest, "Peace, little lion cub. We'll fetch your Slytherin for you."

With a silky nod in her direction, Amos turned to the stone wall. "Revenge," he murmured.

The stone wall melted away, revealing a narrow corridor that she suspected lead into their common room.

"Wait here little lost lion cub," Amos said, disappearing inside with his two friends.

Rose backed up and leaned against the opposite wall, her heart pounding.

 _Slimy snake-skinned bastards. Who makes "revenge" their password? At least ours relevant to our education._

She took her wand out of her pocket and twirled it in her fingers. The Aspen wand glinted in the torch light, falling in sharp contrast to her dark skin, which seemed to absorb the shadows. She ran her fingers along the perfectly smooth wood. It really did look as if it was made of ivory.

Footsteps made her look up.

Scorpius Malfoy stood in front of her, his angular cheekbones thrown into sharp relief by the flames on the walls. He was almost as pale as her wand. His grey eyes the colour of smoke.

She cleared her throat.

 _Just do it. You were a prat and now you have to swallow your pride._

"Scorpius," she began.

"Look, it's a weasel," a silky female voice said from behind Scorpius.

Marie Zabini stepped out of the entrance behind Scorpius, and fixed Rose with a smirk. Her green eyes glinted almost yellow in the low light. She wore the same immaculate black eye-liner she always wore, and her red lipstick made it look as if she had been drinking blood.

"What are you doing here, Zabini?" Rose snapped.

"I just wanted to see what you needed from my boyfriend, that's all," She purred, placing a hand on Scorpius' bicep.

Rose choked and started at Scorpius, "You've got to joking. After what you just yelled at me for? I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who had more hatred in their veins than this bitch."

Marie laughed, "Ooo, the prefect knows some bad words."

Rose narrowed her eyes at Scorpius. He had three seconds to correct this cow before he was officially dead to her.

Scorpius' face remained smoothly impassive, "You had something to tell me?"

"Oh, not anymore I don't," Rose spat.

"You came all the way down here to critique my new relationship?" Scorpius asked, arching a perfect blonde eyebrow.

"Yes, Scor-piss. That is exactly what I came down here for," she turned on her heel and stormed away.

* * *

Eva leaned back and stared at Rose, finding it impossible to hide the genuine shock that the was feeling. "You've got to be kidding. I mean, I knew he probably had bad taste in women, but this is… He couldn't be with _her_."

"I'm not joking."

Eva sighed, "So I take it you didn't apologize then?"

"What?" Rose screeched, "Of course I didn't!"

Eva laughed, "I'm kidding. He clearly doesn't deserve an apology."

Rose whistled, "I never thought I'd see the day."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're not defending him. You're always defending him."

Eva took a deep breath, knowing her friend was speaking the truth, "I know. I thought he was actually a pretty good guy, y'know?"

"No," Rose sighed, "I really don't. I have never seen what you and Al see in him. He's always been a shifty, slimy git. You just never believed me."

"I just thought that you were a bit… Well, a bit influenced by your father's perception of him."

Rose snorted, "Which turned out to be accurate."

Eva nodded, "Well, yeah, it does seem that way now. I just wanted to get to know him for myself, and he has always been kind to me."

 _He felt like a friend._

Rose sighed, "I know. When you told me he talked to you about your mum passing away… That was really the closest I got to thinking he was alright."

 _And I left the part out where he consoled me about James._

Rose continued, "Well, that is, until he ignored you every single time he saw you after that."

"He just doesn't want to deal with the crap his friends would give him if they knew we talked."

"Uh, yeah, I know. That's why he's a slimy git."

"It bothered me when I thought he treated me that way because he felt ashamed of my blood, I couldn't put up with that kind of prejudice, but once I realized he just didn't want the drama… That was fine. I don't care what his friends think about me, or what they think he thinks about me. I was fine with being secret friends."

Rose groaned, "Yeah that's even worse. You're amazing, he should be proud of having a friend like you, and now he's dating the girl who called you 'mudblood' for the first time when you were eleven."

Eva winced, remembering.

"I don't know why you put up with him this long, Ev. You should put a higher price on your friendship. He was a constant disappointment."

Eva smiled, "No, he wasn't. Unlike you, I set him realistic expectations. I knew what kind of friendship I would get from him. He's not very enthusiastic or particularly…"

"Loyal? " Rose suggested.

Eva laughed, "Affectionate."

"That's one way of putting it," Rose snorted.

"No, but he is perceptive, intelligent and honest. He's got a…nobility to him," she added, thinking of how he hadn't teased her for James. "I think he is loyal in his own way."

Rose looked like she was choking on swamp water, "You've got to be kidding me. Even after what I just told you about Marie? You sure you're not in love with Scor-piss?"

"I didn't say he was loyal to me," Eva retorted. "And no, for the millionth time, I have never had feelings for him other than friendship. He's cold, indifferent, often completely devoid of empathy, and is a terrible bystander when it comes to his house mates."

"Merlin, you're finally talking sense."

"That's why I've never fallen in love with him, Rose. Despite how you tease me when I stand up for him. He has good qualities, more than you're willing to see, but perhaps a few less than I thought. Either way, he has never been for me."

"Who is then?" Rose inquired sneakily. "Because I know you don't like Eric. You don't even notice when he's around."

Eva rolled her eyes at her friend, "I don't know. Hopefully someone."

 _James, if he'd have me._

"Elaborate," Rose pushed.

"Someone loyal and passionate, who doesn't care what anyone else thinks. Someone who'd kiss me in front of everyone just because they could. They'd need a good laugh too," she added, thinking about James.

"Oh lord," Rose rolled her eyes. "I forgot you want all that fairy-tale crap."

"I don't want a fairy-tale," Eva snapped, "I just want someone who will love me as honestly as I will love them. I don't do secrets and I don't do half-truths. I don't believe in changing people, or asking someone for what they don't want to give naturally."

"I can't fault you for that," Rose conceded.

"And that," Eva joked, "is why I am going to end up and old maid."

"Who's going to be an old maid?" Albus inquired, sitting down with his friends.

"Not Marie, apparently," Rose said.

Albus winced, "Oh. So you've heard about that then."

"Yes, Al. I went down to the dungeons to apologize for being…uncivil earlier, and met his new girlfriend."

"Wow. It's like the universe wants you two to hate each other," Albus groaned.

Eva laughed and watched the two cousins bicker for a little while before interrupting, "So, how are the Slytherins taking the news from the Prophet?"

Albus' emerald eyes clouded slightly, "It was a pretty mixed reaction… Most of them are scared just like everyone else."

"But not all of them?" Rose growled.

"No. Amos, Marie and her brother Regan, Atticus, Victoria, Troy and Charles were all pretty pleased."

Rose snorted, "Figures, all Death Eater kids."

"No," Albus corrected, "the Zabinis weren't Death Eaters. And Atticus' family is from America so they weren't involved either. Sympathizers maybe, but not Death Eaters."

"Fine," conceded Rose, "But Amos Knott, Charles and Troy Lestrange… Victoria Carrow. We grew up knowing those names, Al."

"But are they saying anything is actually happening? Whether or not it was a joke, or something more…sinister?" Eva asked.

"Not around me," Albus sighed.

"What about Scorpius, have you talked to him?"

"No, Ev. I tried but… Well, apparently we aren't talking right now."

"Wait, what?" spluttered Rose.

Albus looked a little uncomfortable, "By the time I caught up with him after your row, he had Marie up in a corner with her skirt around her hips."

Rose looked like she was thinking about heading back to the dungeons to light something on fire.

"And when he came up for air… he pretty much pretended I didn't exist."

Rose narrowed her eyes into slits, "So he has lost all semblance of dignity and is completely irredeemable. He's probably shining his pure-blood badge and toasting Voldemort as we speak."

Eva tried to laugh, "Erm, well maybe he's just in it for the sex and not the team membership?"

Both Rose and Albus glared at her.

Eva sighed, "Okay, completely irredeemable git, got it."

Albus laughed, "Looks like we're all on the same page then. Which leads me to my next proposition… Please stop hanging out in your common room and start hanging out absolutely anywhere else. Because the Slytherin common room was never exactly my favorite place to be, but I have a feeling it is going to get considerably worse in there for me."

Eva scooted closer to Al and wrapped him in a tight hug, "Why do you think we're sitting in the library right now and not in our dorm room?"

Rose smiled, "We love you, Al. In fact, you are officially the coolest Slytherin at Hogwarts."

"Oh good to know," Albus laughed.

* * *

Eva flinched in the stands as a bludger streaked by Rose's left ear. Her friend was hundreds of feet up in the air, searching for the snitch. Eva gripped her wand tightly just in case Rose was knocked off her broom. She knew that the professors were responsible for keeping the competitors alive, but Eva figured an extra wand wasn't unwarranted.

"Phew, that was a close one, eh Ev?" Albus grinned, noticing her flinch.

"Too close."

Al bumped her shoulder affectionately with his, "She's going to be fine y'know. Stop worrying and put your wand away."

"No thank you. I feel perfectly comfortable with my wand where it is."

"Well I don't. You're going to poke my eye out."

"Then I'll grow you a new eyeball," Eva snapped, not taking her eyes of her friend.

Albus snorted, "I think that's beyond even your immense skill."

Eva ignored him. A Ravenclaw chaser was now shooting towards where James hovered.

 _Please please please_

"Come on, James!" Albus howled.

The chaser heaved the quaffel at the bottom left hoop, and James dove down, snagging it out of the air with an outstretched hand.

 _SAVED BY POTTER!_ The commentator shouted into the mic.

The Gryffindor supporters flew to their feet and went absolutely wild. Eva winced as she was bounced back and forth in her seat by Albus and the other screaming spectators.

"I don't know why you even come to these things, Ev." Albus laughed, joining her back on the bench, "You aren't happy when we score, and you aren't happy when we don't."

"I just don't express my enthusiasm in the same way as the rest of you baboons," She grumbled.

"I suspect you're just here to make sure no one dies. You have no appreciation for Quidditch," Albus scolded.

Eva flinched as James dodged a bludger, "What gave you that idea?"

Albus laughed, "Just your overall energy."

Eva tapped her foot anxiously, "I know you wish you were up there with them, but I think I'd die if absolutely everyone I liked was up there risking their neck for a ball."

"For glory Ev, not a ball."

Eva moaned and hid her face as Beckham smashed a bludger into the Ravenclaw seekers arm.

"What kind of Gryffindor are you? You don't even like it when the other team gets hurt."

"That's because I'm not a savage," she snapped.

Albus suddenly flew to his feet, "She's seen it!"

Eva jumped to her feet. Albus was right, Rose was streaking towards the ground, body pressed flat to her broom.

 _Oh my god, pull up._

Eva grabbed Albus' hand as Rose neared the ground with terrific speed.

 _She's going to die. And all you're going to be able to do is stand here and watch._

"GO ROSE!" Albus shouted madly.

 _Go?! SLOW THE FUCK DOWN!_

Just when Eva thought she was going to have to freeze her friend on the spot, Rose pulled out of her dive, hand above her head, waving the snitch in the air.

Even Eva cheered.

* * *

O

* * *

Rose touched down on the grass and was instantly swarmed by her teammates. Cooper and Beckham hoisted her up onto their shoulders, cheering like mad. She grinned. The smell of sweat, wind and broomstick polish made her heart pound - nothing made her feel as alive as Quidditch did. And, boy, she loved to win.

"Oi! What are you after, Hardy?" James shouted.

Rose looked to see the handsome Ravenclaw beater making his way over to their cheering red and gold team. He grinned up at her, "I've lost a bet."

Rose hopped down and looked at him, "You're a terrible gambler then. Everyone in their right mind knew we were going to win."

Luca rolled his eyes, "And humble to."

"Humble has never been one of my many qualities," she winked.

"Get a move on, Luca!" one of the Ravenclaw chasers shouted.

He shot his friend a scowl before turning back to her, "To demonstrate what a graceful looser I am, I'm here to ask you on a date."

Rose couldn't help but smile, "You are?"

"I am. Rose Weasley, will you be my girlfriend?"

She laughed, "I thought you were just asking me on a date?"

"Well, I was, but then I figured I might as well go for the whole thing, y'know?" He grinned, "Never know when I'll lose another bet. Wouldn't want you to have to wait forever."

Rose walked over to him, a huge grin on her face.

"So, is that a yes?"

"No," she smirked. "But this is," she stepped forward and kissed him full on the mouth.

The Gryffindor team howled.


	8. Chapter 8: Distractions

_Hello :) Things will be ramping up after this chapter, and I will probably be skipping forward in time a little too (getting our lovely protagonists into their 6th year). Now, for a shout out to Daisychain19, my very first follower on this story *cheers and throws confeti* - You made my morning daisy!_

 **Distractions**

The fifth year girls' dormitory was in the throes of Christmas mayhem. The Christmas Ball was in less than three hours, and each girl seemed to have been waiting until the exact same moment to need the bathroom. Rose was standing by her four poster bed, waiting for the shower and trying to zip up Charlotte's red dress.

"The zipper is stuck." Rose chewed her lip in frustration, trying to yank it up, "It's all the ruffles."

"Oh no, you've got to be kidding me!" Charlotte wailed, anxiously craning her neck around to get a glimpse of what was going on.

"Stop moving," Rose snapped, pulling at the fabric. She was just about to give it another vicious yank when a voice behind her chimed in.

" _Reparo."_

The zipper unsnagged itself. Rose snapped around to see Eva standing in a fluffy white towel, her wand in her hand, and her eyes sparkling with laughter.

Rose frowned, "Some witch I am."

"And I'm the muggle-born here," Eva teased, walking over to her bed and rummaging in her trunk.

Rose snorted with laughter and started to walk towards the shower.

"Don't bother," Eva chirped, "Tara just got in."

"I was next," Rose growled, shooting the bathroom a scathing look.

"Well, now you can help me," Eva sighed.

Rose looked over to see Eva holding up two dresses. One was light blue with little birds on it, and the other one was a rosy pink. Neither of them looked very appropriate for a ball. "I can't tell anything until you put them on," Rose commented, hoping that the dresses would look better once they had a person to cling to.

Eva dropped her towel onto the bed and began pulling on some blue panties. Rose was always a bit stunned by how comfortable her friend was with getting naked. Rose wasn't particularly shy about changing in front of people, but she didn't have Eva's brazen indifference either. Then again, Eva always seemed comfortable, no matter what she was doing. That was one of the things Rose really loved about Eva, she always seemed completely at ease with who she was. Effortlessly doing the right thing, never losing her temper or saying things she shouldn't... Rose tried to always appear confident, but she could never master the quiet certainty that Eva possessed. Eva slipped her arms through her bra and pulled the pink dress over her head. It didn't make it past her hips.

"Well, shit," Eva laughed, trying to pull the dress down.

Rose giggled, "I think you might have filled out since you last wore that one."

"You aren't kidding!" Eva yanked the dress back over her head and looked down at her body, "You'd think I'd actually grow boobs at some point, but no…" She gestured at her hips, "All I get is this."

Rose snorted, "You're beautiful. You've got a great ass."

"Small breasts are very in right now," Charlotte added.

Eva rolled her eyes, "Only girls with big boobs say that."

Rose watched her friend pull on the blue dress.

"I look about twelve, don't I?" Eva sighed, looking in the mirror.

"No," Rose lied. Her friend was growing into a real beauty, but with her round face, full lips and big blue eyes, she was often mistaken for a lot younger than she was. Cute and innocent were the words people used to describe her, and this dress didn't change that. The modest cut didn't show anything her friend's new hips, or her tiny waist, and the pattern was a bit juvenile.

Eva sighed, "I probably should have got a new dress."

Rose shook her head, "Stop fishing for compliments, you look great." She knew that if Eva could have afforded a new dress, she would have bought one.

 _Next year I'm going to buy you a real dress._

Rose climbed out of the shower and toweled off, "Eva? Can you bring me my hair stuff?"

Eva appeared in the bathroom, a bottle of Hair Tamer in her hands, "You should leave your hair the way it is, Rose. I like the curls."

Rose rolled her eyes, "Well I don't. Can you put it in? I always miss spots."

Eva nodded, coming up behind her and massaging the cream into her thick curls.

Rose watched her friend in the mirror. Eva's eyes looked a bit dull, and there were purple shadows under her eyes, "Are you okay, Ev? You look a bit tired."

Eva sighed, "I didn't sleep well. Bad dreams."

Rose frowned, "What about?"

Eva paused, squirting more Hair Tamer into her hands, "I don't fully remember, but there was something to do with… a wand. A man either had it, or was searching desperately for it. I think the dream took place underground because everything was dark and damp. I was just following him through tunnels."

"Was it… a special dream?" Rose inquired cautiously.

Eva shrugged, "It wasn't a vision, if that's what you're getting at. I don't think it meant anything either. It was just really vivid, so it took me a long time to get back to sleep."

Rose nodded, "Okay, but promise you'll tell me if you have it again, or if anything starts feeling weird? Because it could mean something."

"I Promise. But I am starting to think that the vision in the crystal ball had less to do with me, and more to do with it just being Divination. I mean, the whole point of the class is to see visions, right? So maybe if we had a proper teacher that would happen more. I was probably a fluke. Trelawney just failed to cloud my inner eye with all her perfume."

Rose shrugged, "I think there is actually a higher probability of you being a Seer, than of Trelawney conducting a successful lesson."

* * *

O

* * *

Eva took a sip of her drink and watched Luka Hardy twirl Rose around the dance floor. Her friend was wearing a stunning golden dress that brought out the bronze in her beautiful brown skin. Rose was looking more and more like a goddess with each passing year, and Eva couldn't help but giggle at the many envious looks Luka was getting.

"You'd think she'd get dizzy," Albus commented with an eye-roll.

"Now, now," Eva chided, "just because we don't have dates doesn't mean we have to pick on Rose for having the time of her life with her amazingly handsome boyfriend."

"Amazingly handsome? I didn't think Hardy was your type."

"He's not. But I can appreciate a happy couple."

Albus laughed, "Really? Well then, if you direct your attention to the darkest corner of the dance floor, you'll see Marie and Scorpius, who are clearly trying to break the record for longest snog session."

Eva burst into laughter, choking on her drink. "Well, Al. I may not be able to twirl that long without vomiting, or simultaneously grind against another human while avoiding every chaperone… But I can dance."

Al raised an eyebrow, "Can you dance without snogging?"

Eva feigned serious contemplation, "I could try."

Albus nodded, "Well then, to the dance floor we go."

Eva took his arm, "In the name of friendship."

"In the name of loneliness and broken hearts."

"In the name of melodramatic dance partners," Eva laughed, pulling Albus on to the dance floor.

Albus faced her grinning, grabbing her and twirling her ungracefully around the dance floor until she was sure she was going to hurl. Eva laughed and did the silliest dance-move she could think of, while Albus established a new record for stepping on a woman's feet. They were having a blast.

"Oh look, it's Hogwarts' most pathetic Slytherin and his Gryffindor mudblood."

Eva sighed and turned around, knowing exactly who was going to be standing there, ready to try and ruin her night.

"Bugger off, Zabini." Albus snapped.

Marie smirked. She was wearing a beautiful dress made of black silk, her immaculate appearance only slightly spoiled by the hickey at the base of her throat.

"Did you lose Scorpius in the corner?" Eva asked, exasperated.

Marie smiled, "He went to get me a drink."

"Great," Albus snapped, "why don't you go and enjoy it with him."

"Because I wanted to ask you if your father is wetting the bed after seeing the Dark Lord's sign in the sky. He's probably reconsidering being an Auror now, isn't he?"

"My father has _never even been disarmed._ " Albus snarled, "He's not afraid of some wannabe Death Eaters. And you should be disgusted by the people who cast that mark."

"Why would I be disgusted? I think it was brilliant." Marie scoffed, "I bet they were telling all you blood-traitors and mudbloods that the tides are shifting."

Eva was about to say something when Scorpius appeared, handing Marie a sparkling drink. He was wearing a crisp, dark grey suit that hugged his muscular shoulders and nipped in at his waist. While most of the other fifth year boys looked like they were wearing their dad's suits, Scorpius looked perfectly at home in his. He eyed Eva and Albus with no hint of recognition.

"Hello darling," Marie purred, running a red nail down Scorpius' jawline.

Scorpius gave her a small nod, "Jaqueline and Victoria are looking for you."

Marie smiled, "Alright, I'll be right over. I was just asking Potty how his daddy was handling the news." Her eyes flickered over to Eva, "I guess you're probably just happy you only have one muggle parent to worry about."

Eva felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She felt Albus take a step forward, but before he could do anything Eva snatched his arm and pulled him back. "She's not worth it," she snapped. Turning her eyes to Scorpius she added, "Neither of them are. They're hateful and pathetic."

Marie laughed, "You're right, I shouldn't tease. Poor mudblood can't even afford a proper dress."

Eva knew what Albus was going to do before he did it.

" _Furnunculus!"_

Marie shrieked as pimples sprouted all over her face.

 _Shit._

Albus was glaring at his former friend with such fury and betrayal that Eva was surprised Scorpius didn't recoil. The blonde wizard's face remained smoothly impassive as he slid his jacket off and passed it to his shrieking girlfriend, who promptly hid her face.

"Very mature," Scorpius drawled, the picture of composure beside his distraught girlfriend.

The space between the two boys crackled with energy, and Eva was pretty sure that magic was going to explode out of Albus whether he channeled it or not.

 _Shit._

"Stop!" Eva cried, throwing herself between them, "You're both going to get in trouble." The loud music on the dance floor was only going to shield them for so long, and Eva could see other students regarding them with curiosity. They were going to have a large audience very soon. She looked at Marie, "I can fix that, just move your hands." She started to pull her wand from her robes, but Albus shoved her aside. He was a few inches shorter than Scorpius, but the two boys stood with their chests almost touching. Green eyes shining with rage and hurt, grey eyes unreadable.

Albus gritted his teeth, "What's wrong with you?"

Scorpius sighed and took a step back, "Something serious, I'm sure. I mean, if Albus Potter and perfect Eva disapprove…"

Albus lunged forward and punched Scorpius in the jaw. The lean wizard fell back into the wall.

"Shit!" Eva shouted, as chaos erupted around them. Scorpius had drawn his wand and was now dueling Albus with a ferocity that she suspected only happened between two people who had been friends once, but now loathed each other.

Eva yanked Marie out of harm's way, knowing that it was only a matter of time before a rebounding curse hit one of them.

"Protego!" McGonagall snarled, throwing students aside as she struggled to reach the two dueling wizards.

Albus and Scorpius were both driven backwards a few feet by the force of the headmistress' spell. Scorpius stowed his wand gracefully, turning to face the headmistress with eyes calmer than smoke. Albus on the other hand still gripped his wand tightly, not looking away from Scorpius.

"In my office. The four of you. Now."

* * *

Eva scuffed her little black ballet flats on the rough stone of the headmistress' office. She could feel Albus' vibrating with energy on her right, and Scorpius' leg brushing hers ever so slightly. McGonagall had sent Marie to the Hospital Wing as soon as they were out of the great hall, so it was just Eva and the two Slytherins left to face McGonagall's outrage. None of them had said anything.

"If none of you tell me what happened, then I will be forced to punish you all equally severely," the headmistress surveyed them with a stony face, her eyes glinting with anger.

Eva tangled her fingers in the fabric of her dress. As far as she was concerned, this was between Al and Scorpius. She would go along with whatever they said.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

Scorpius gazed past the headmistress' right shoulder and remained silent.

"Mr. Potter?"

Albus ground his jaw and stared at the floor.

"Miss. O'Connor, please explain to me what happened here. Miss Zabini is saying that Albus cursed her without provocation, is this true?"

Eva felt her face flush angrily, "She said that? Without provocation?"

 _Shhh. Keep your mouth shut._

McGonagall arched her eyebrows, "That was the general idea, yes."

Albus bumped Eva's knee with his as if to tell her to leave it.

Eva bit her lip.

 _Let it alone._

McGonagall surveyed the three of them for a moment, "Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, please step outside for a moment. You can leave your wands with me." She outstretched a long fingered hand.

Albus pulled a knobby wand from his robes. Handing it to McGonagall.

"Beech?"

"Yes, headmistress."

"This wood has a reputation for choosing the wisest and most down to earth witches and wizards. Either you have stolen this wand from a more mature individual, or you have a lot of growing up to do. I suggest you work harder to control your temper, Mr. Potter."

McGonagall turned to Scorpius, "I'm waiting, Mr. Malfoy."

Scorpius hesitated before withdrawing a long, smooth, jet-black wand and handing it over to the Headmistress.

McGonagall surveyed Scorpius for a moment before addressing both him and Albus, "The two of you will wait in outside my office until I invite you back in. If I hear any sort of fighting, verbal or otherwise, I will take 100 points from Slytherin. Each."

Eva swallowed as the two boys got up and walked out of the office. She hoped Albus would be able to hold on to his temper. He wasn't a volatile person, but once he was angry it took him a long time to wind himself back down.

"Please walk me through the events of this evening, Miss. O'Connor. If you do not, I will go up and fetch Miss. Zabini, and rely solely on her to explain to me what happened."

 _Well, that's it then. Might as well spill it._

Eva took a deep breath, "I was dancing with Al, and Marie came over to try and rile us up. She said some things about Al's dad and the Dark Mark."

"And that's when Mr. Potter cursed Miss. Zabini?"

"No. He, um, cursed her when she made fun of my dress."

Eva could have sworn there was a flicker of amusement in McGonagall's eyes when she said, "How very like his father."

Eva sighed, "It wasn't really about me though, professor. Scorpius and Al have sort of drifted apart over the last few weeks. I think Al feels betrayed, and this was just the final hurt."

McGonagall surveyed Eva calmly, "Yes, I think you're probably right. What happened between them?"

Eva looked at her shoes again, "The Dark Mark. Everything changed after that."

McGonagall sounded sad when she answered, "Thank you, Eva. Please send the boys in on your way out."

Eva made her way past the stone Griffin and was surprised to see Rose sitting in the hallway. Her friend had her back against the wall and her golden heels on the floor beside her.

"Rose?" Eva asked, gently shaking her friend awake.

Rose opened sleepy brown eyes, "Eva. Are you okay?"

Eva slid down the wall to rest beside her friend, "Yeah. McGonagall wasn't mad at me. She just wanted me to tell her what happened."

"And what happened?"

"You didn't see?" Eva asked, surprised.

Rose rubbed her face, "No. I'm sorry. I was with Luka and a bunch of his friends… They had some fire whiskey with them, and well, I got a little bit drunk."

Eva laughed gently, "You do know you're a prefect, right?"

Rose groaned, "I know. It was so stupid. I got completely swept up by Luka and his friends. I feel so embarrassed, I wasn't around when you and Al needed me."

"Ha! Trust me, the last thing we needed was another hot-head throwing curses!"

"Hey!" Rose snapped, "I would have helped you diffuse the situation."

Eva couldn't stop herself from laughing, "When have you _ever_ diffused a situation?"

Rose glared at her friend for a moment before beginning to laugh, "Okay, well I would have made sure Scorpius got what he deserved, how's that for helping?"

"Great," Eva laughed, "really would have made things better."

The two friends laughed for a bit longer before Eva felt something heavy settle inside her lungs. The feeling that something was coming, that something was almost there. "I don't think things are going to stop changing, Rose. I think this is just the beginning."

Rose reached out and took her hand.

* * *

O

* * *

Eva sat cross-legged on the Weasley family's humungous brown chesterfield, a cup of coca balanced on one knee. Molly and Fleur Weasley were both bustling about the kitchen, preparing Christmas Eve pudding while James, Albus and their cousin Teddy Lupin wrestled the Christmas gnome back onto the top of the tree. George Weasley, Percy Weasley, her father, and Hermione sat at a table in the window playing poker, and Arthur Weasley sat in rapture with her father's cellphone. She could just hear Harry, Ron, Bill and Ginny arguing over Quidditch in the next room. Never in her life had Eva experienced such a crowded house.

"Ev!"

Eva looked up to see Rose stumbling over under the weight of what looked like many generations worth of Christmas decorations.

"Victoire just abandoned me. You have to help me finish decorating."

Eva stared at the heap of red and gold, "You can't be serious. There isn't a surface left to decorate in your entire house."

Rose frowned, "Sure there is. We haven't done the bathrooms."

"That's a joke right?"

Rose glared at her, "You have no creativity."

Eva sighed and was about to get up and help her overly-enthused friend when Lilly Potter came flying though the room.

"Presents! It's time for presents!"

Eva looked at Rose, confused, "It's only Christmas Eve."

Rose grinned, "Family tradition. All the siblings give each other presents on Christmas Eve."

"It's because all our parents go sick of us bugging them for presents the night before," Albus added, appearing at Rose's side.

Eva smiled, "That's cute. Do you give all your cousins presents too?"

"No bloody way!" Albus laughed, "Do you see how many cousins we have? I don't have the coin for that."

Eva laughed, "That's fair."

"Come on," Al said, gesturing to the far corner of the living room where the Weasley and Potters children sat clustered around the tree. Eva followed and took a seat beside Teddy, who had been deemed an "honorary Potter" for the evening.

"I'll start," James Potter declared, diving beneath the tree and tossing Lily a present.

"Last year he got me a hat that shouted rude things at cute girls," Teddy whispered. "Course I only figured it out once I wore it outside."

Eva doubled over with laughter while James passed Teddy and Albus two identical green boxes.

"James, you got me a spell-check quill?" Lily scoffed from her spot by the tree.

James winked at his little sister, "Yeah, mum told me she can hardly read any of the letters you send home."

Lily glared at her older brother.

Eva smiled, clearly these sibling presents were more gag gifts than anything else.

As if to prove her point, Albus and Teddy both let out howls of outrage as their green boxes exploded, releasing furious gnomes dressed like kittens.

James swore, "Shoot! That wasn't supposed to happen until after Eva opened hers." He reached down and pulled another green box from under the tree.

Eva smiled at James as he handed it to her. She didn't care if it was a gnome riding a vicious baby dragon, all that mattered was that he had thought to include her. "Will it explode if I don't open it?" she joked.

James smiled, "No, but I wouldn't recommend leaving it in there either."

Eva tugged at the flaps of the box, revealing a tiny orange kitten. Not a gnome dressed like a kitten, but a real kitten. It looked up at her with soft brown eyes. "Oh," she breathed.

"Do you like it? I know you said you wanted a dog, but they don't allow those at Hogwarts."

Eva looked up at him, fully aware that her eyes were brimming with tears, "I love it."

"It's a he, and apparently he's really smart. The lady who sold them said that they were almost like dogs, so hope-"

Eva put the kitten on the sofa and jumped up, wrapping her arms around James, "He's beautiful. He's the best present I've ever had."

James chuckled and kissed the top of her head, "Good. I thought you deserved a treat. I know it has been a rough year."

Eva could feel his lips burning on the top of her head. She hopped he mistook her newfound silence for gratitude and not lovesickness.

"You got her a kitten!" Lily shrieked in only partially mock outrage.

James laughed, "Yeah, Eva is actually my favorite sister."

 _Sister._

 _Shut up and be grateful he cares about you enough to do this for you._

Eva settled back down in the chair and buried her nose in the kitten's soft fur. She could feel its little heart beating calmly against her cheek, "What should I name him?"

"Mouse-killer," Albus laughed.

Lily thought for a moment, "Firepaw."

"Godric," Rose suggested.

Eva looked at James questioningly, "What did you call him?"

James reached out and scratched behind the kitten's ears, "Well, I've been calling him 'friend,' but more as a placeholder until you named him."

Eva smiled, "Friend it is."

* * *

It was the final day of Christmas holidays before school started up again, and Eva sat at Rose's kitchen table reading the Daily Prophet. Rose and Hugo both seemed to spend half the day asleep, so Eva usually spent her mornings doing homework and playing with Friend. Hermione was already back at work with the Auror office, but Ronald and his brother George had shut down Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes for the week following Christmas. Eva and her father had been invited by Hermione and Ron to stay with them until term started up again, and they had gratefully accepted. The first Christmas without her mother had hurt, but being surrounded by the Weasleys and Potters had kept the pain at a dull ache.

"Do you want some more toast, Eva?" Ron asked.

Eva shook her head, "No thank you, Mr. Weasley." She paused, "I just wanted to say thank you again for having my dad and I here, and for spending so much time with him while I'm at school."

Ron smiled, "That's no problem, Eva. We've been happy to have you, and I actually consider Frank a close friend now. He has even been helping George and I expand our Muggle business."

Eva grinned, and was about to ask how exactly her dad had been helping with, when a silver otter flew through the window and landed gracefully on the kitchen table in front of Ron.

Hermione's voice floated through the kitchen, _"We were attacked. Someone is coming to explain. Harry and I are okay."_

Her and Ron sat in stunned silence for a few minutes after the silvery otter disappeared, but were soon brought to their feet by a knock at the door.

Ron ripped open the front door, wand in hand.

A portly wizard stood there, looking a little out of breath, "Mr. Weasley, I came as soon as I could."

"What happened to my wife, Bletchley?" Ron roared.

Rose and Hugo both appeared in the kitchen looking worried, "Dad? Dad? What's going on?"

Eva motioned to her friend to be quiet, "Your mother sent a Patronus. She and Mr. Potter were attacked, but they're okay."

"There was a call, Mrs. Granger and Mr. Potter were the first responders," Bletchley said, shuffling his feet awkwardly.

"Why are they _always t_ he first responders?" Ron fumed, clearly talking to himself.

Bletchley continued tentatively, "They were ambushed and outnumbered, but luckily the attackers fled before any real damage was done."

"If they had my wife outnumbered then why did they flee?"

Bletchley shifted uncomfortably, "Well, that's what we are trying to figure out."

* * *

Eva, Hugo and Rose huddled at the top of the stairs desperately trying to hear the conversation happening downstairs. Hermione had arrived late in the evening, and, after comforting her children and assuring everyone that she was alright, she had made it clear that she and Ron needed to speak alone. Desperate to know what was going on, Rose had rounded up some Extendable Ears and set up camp on the landing above the dining room. Eva felt a bit uncomfortable eavesdropping on her friend's parents, but she still wanted to know what was going on.

"They apparated all us around us," Hermione whispered, sounding exhausted.

"How many?"

"It was hard to tell, but no more than five because Harry and I were able to hold our own for a while."

"And then what happened?" Ron asked hoarsely.

"They disarmed Harry and disapparated."

"Merlin, why did they just leave? They could have killed you."

"Because they had to get to Gringotts before we realized what was happening."

Ron exhaled, "No."

Eva looked at Rose, trying to understand what was so significant about Gringotts, but her friend looked just as confused.

Hermione's voice drifted up through the Extendable Ears, "They broke into his vault and took it. It's gone, Ron."

"How did they break in? It took us months of planning to do what they must have done in less than an hour."

"Harry's vault isn't as old or as deep as the Lestranges', and I don't think for a moment that this wasn't as carefully planned as ours was. They knew that they had to disarm or kill Harry before there was any point in them going after it."

"But who has it?"

"I don't know, Ron. But it's no coincidence that this happened a month after the Dark Mark was cast for the first time in thirty-three years. Harry is afraid that they're looking to start another war."

Ron sounded broken, "And what better way to start a war than with the Elder Wand.


	9. Chapter 9: Fire

_Hello! This chapter is a bt shorter than I had intended, but the next one will be longer :) I am going to make another plea for reviews as I could really use the feeback! Whether or not you like the way things are going, if you have any dreams of future pairings...I started with a set vision of who was going to end up with who and now I am wavering..._

 _Aaaaaand now... *turns on music and hands out party snacks* A thank you to MrsCloWeasley and Fela! You two have made us an official party of four. You're both amazing!_

* * *

 **Fire**

Eva O'Connor had spent the majority of her summer inside her dad's flat, playing with Friend and reading about the Last Wizarding War. In the seven months since the Elder Wand had been stolen, one hundred and eight people had been murdered. Most of them muggles, but not all. She glanced over at the letter Mr. Potter had sent her at the beginning of the summer.

 _Eva,_

 _Please don't hesitate to contact us if you need anything. If more than three days go by without Rose or Al hearing from you, Ginny or I will come by to make sure you and your father are alright.  
We will pick you up for the train on the 30_ _th_ _of August._

 _Harry_

Eva sighed and sat down on her narrow bed. There were five weeks between her and Hogwarts, and she hadn't been this conflicted about returning since her mother died. She knew she would feel better once she got back to school and out of the muggle world, but she was terribly afraid for her father.

 _Are you sure you even know enough magic to protect him if they did come?_

The Prophet arrived every morning at dawn (if any of her neighbours had noticed the owls napping on their fifteenth floor balcony they hadn't mentioned it) to tell her whether or not someone had been murdered while she slept. The Prophet kept her somewhat connected to the magical world, but she was painfully aware that any information she got was literally yesterday's news. Rose and Albus did their best to keep her updated and since both of them had a parent in the Auror department, they had more information than most. But Eva still felt trapped in what Rose called her "muggle bubble."

 _One hundred and eight people dead. How can this be happening? Why can't they find who is doing this?_

Friend mewed and rubbed against her leg. She scooped him up and cuddled him for a moment, taking comfort in his rumbling purr. She couldn't believe that things had deteriorated so fast. The muggle community had no idea what was happening of course, so only wizards were aware that the mysterious deaths were the result of the _Avada Kedavra_ , the killing curse. To everyone's chagrin, the Auror department still had no leads on who was controlling the new group of Death Eaters.

 _But at least we know it isn't Voldemort._

 _No, just someone new and equally as twisted. Someone who doesn't want to be found._

Eva shivered despite the evening sun drifting through her small window. Eva had seen both Albus and Rose frequently throughout the summer, as they had both insisted on not leaving her without their company for more than a week or two. Rose had even figured out how to use muggle transportation and had stayed over on a few of the nights when Eva's father had needed to work. But for the most part she was alone.

"You're not afraid, are you?" Eva asked Friend.

The cat looked up at her with his big brown eyes, reminding her of James. She stroked his cheeks and cradled him closer to her chest, wishing she knew how James was doing. She worried about him constantly. James had announced to his parents in the spring that he intended to pursue a career as an Auror, which had caught his family completely by surprise. Prior to the rise of conflict in the wizarding world, James had been working hard to get signed on to a professional Quidditch team. Once the attacks started however, he had switched his aspirations completely. Much to his mother's dismay, his N.E.W.T scores were high enough to get him accepted into Auror training, and he was now apprenticing with one of his father's co-workers. Last Eva had heard, he was on track for being a fully trained Auror in two years.

 _And now he's out there fighting while you sit at home, hoping the paper will tell you what to do._

She rubbed Friend's ears absentmindedly. When Albus had told her about James' plans to fight, Eva had been one of the few people who wasn't surprised. James liked a good joke, and he was no stranger to rule-breaking, but he was also Ginny and Harry's son. Eva knew he wouldn't be happy waiting for other people to figure out what was going on.

 _And neither am I._

Eva heard the rattle of the lock coming undone, and the sound of her father's heavy boots in the hallway. He pulling as many morning shifts as possible with Holdfast Security so that Eva didn't have to be alone at night.

"Eva, honey? Are you home?"

Eva plucked Friend off her lap and padded into the hallway, "I'm here dad, don't worry."

Frank wrapped his daughter in a warm hug, "I can't stop thinking about all this chaos."

Eva nodded, hiding her face in her dad's chest, "I know, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Ev. This isn't your fault. There are wackos in every group, I just hate knowing that I couldn't do anything if they came here."

"They won't come here dad, and Mr. Potter put wards all over our suite. No one can come inside without us and the entire Auror department knowing about it." She gave her dad a tight squeeze. "Plus, I really can't imagine Death Eaters taking the elevator," she giggled, despite herself.

Frank sighed, "I'm glad you can still find a way to laugh, Ev. Personally, I'll be relieved when you get back to school."

Eva sighed. It was thanks to the Potters and Mr. Weasley that her father thought Hogwarts was safe. Eva had believed it too, until she began reading about the Last Wizarding War. Now she was pretty sure no one was safe. She couldn't even practice any defensive spells over the holidays without the Ministry for Magic punishing her.

* * *

O

* * *

" _Diffindo!"_

"Good!" Harry yelled as the target Rose was aiming at exploded.

Rose staggered backwards panting.

Harry had shown up at her front door first thing in the morning and, after a ferocious row with her mother, taken her and Hugo back to his cottage in Godric's Hollow, where they could practice spell work without any muggles to overhear. Aunt Ginny had been waiting for them in the backyard, which had been transformed into a sort of defense against the Dark Arts obstacle course. Harry and Ginny had sat her, Hugo, Lily and Albus down on the back steps and explained that they had to know how to defend themselves. Rose had been shocked. Her parents were all words of comfort and promises that Hogwarts was safe, that they were safe, but the Potters were training their children like warriors.

"They know who we are, there's no point pretending they don't!" Harry had yelled at her mother as the dawn light filtered through the kitchen windows. "We spent seven years fighting these people, and they won't forget what we did to them! If you think our children can escape the legacy we left them, you're fooling yourself! They have to be able to defend themselves, Hermione. They have to know what to do!"

 _If you think our children can escape the legacy we left them, you're fooling yourself._

The words still rang in her ears and shivered down her spine.

"Hugo, get your arm up higher, you're trying to shield the ground," Ginny snapped, lifting her nephews arm into the correct position.

Her fourteen year old brother had his face screwed up in concentration as he attempted to block Albus' spells. Rose bit her lip. The thought of Hugo needing to fight made bile burn the back of her throat like fire. He was too young.

 _Uncle Harry was the same age when Voldemort came back._

 _Hugo isn't Harry. None of us are._

"How are your nonverbal spells coming along, Rose?" Harry asked his niece.

Rose frowned, "Terribly. I don't think my wand can read my mind."

"It can. You're just used to relying on your words, but nonverbal spells are extremely important in duelling as they allow you to-"

"Attack or defend without your opponent knowing what's happening. I know, Uncle Harry," Rose breathed, trying to control her temper.

Harry smiled. "You know, you look a lot like your mother, but boy, do you ever remind me of Ginny."

Rose couldn't help but smile through her frustration. She absolutely idolized her fiery aunt. Gritting her teeth she slashed her wand through the air again,

 _Petrificus Totalus!_

Lily fell back into the grass, completely stiff.

"Yes!" Rose shouted, pumping her fist in the air.

Harry smiled, "Well done, Rose." He bent over his youngest child and performed the counter-curse. "You have a lot of power in that wand, dragon heartstring?"

"Dragon heartstring and Aspen."

Harry nodded, "I don't know much about wands, but I think there used to be a famous duelling club that only took people who had wands made of Aspen."

"The Silver Spears."

Rose whirled around at her mother's voice.

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley stood on the Potter's back. They were holding hands.

"Mum! Dad!" Hugo shouted, "I stunned Al!"

Rose watched as Harry walked over to his two best friends. She couldn't hear all of what they were saying, but she could tell Harry was apologizing for yelling this morning. Hermione wrapped Harry in a tight hug, and Rose could just make out the words, "You were right. We can't always be there to protect them."

* * *

O

* * *

Eva felt a sharp pain below her collar bone, and struggled to brush it away and go back to sleep. Her mind felt sluggish, and each breath burned her chest. The pain intensified, and Eva struggled to open her eyes. Flames licked the walls, making the yellow wallpaper bubble and peel. The room was alive with smoke and fire, like the center of dragon's mouth.

 _What?_

Eva struggled to sit up, and realized that the sharp pain that had woke her had been Friend's teeth. The cat was now crouched beside her, his warm brown eyes streaming from the smoke. The cat's little chest heaved with the effort of drawing breath.

 _We're burning alive._

Eva coughed viciously and struggled to draw breath. She could feel consciousness slipping away from her again.

 _No. We will not die here._

She snatched her wand out from under her pillow and performed the bubble-head charm on Friend before turning to herself. The fresh air didn't make her lungs stop burning, but she could feel her brain slowly waking up.

 _Dad._

Grabbing friend off the bed and tucking him under her arm Eva staggered out of her flaming bedroom. " _Partis Temporus_ ," she coughed, forcing the fire out of her way as she struggled down the hallway towards her father's bedroom. Sparks landed on her shoulders, burning the flesh away.

 _If I can feel my skin burning then I'm still alive._

The smoke was so think in her father's bedroom that she stumbled and fell, smashing her knee on something as she went down. Refusing to drop Friend, she crashed onto her shoulder. Something cracked and pain shot through collarbone.

 _You've broken your first bone._

Eva stumbled back to her feet and over to her father's bed. She could feel the blood from her collarbone streaming between her breasts. The blood felt cool compared to the air.

"Dad!" she shrieked, her voice tearing into the back of her throat until she tasted blood.

Her father didn't move.

 _No. No. No._

Eva placed Friend on the bed and rolled her father over. She couldn't tell if he was alive or not, and she didn't have time to fumble for a heartbeat. The walls were beginning to fall in, crumbling towards her as the flames devoured their home. Eva cast the bubble-head charm on her father, and dragged him out of the bed.

"Wing- wing," she choked as her voice broke.

 _Winguardium Leviosa._

Her father lurched into the air.

Eva scooped Friend back up into her arms and guided her father's unconscious body out of the bedroom. The living room was now entirely in flames. Eva blinked furiously, her energy fading rapidly.

 _There's no way out._

Eva's eyes settled on the sliding glass door, which had exploded in the inferno.

 _Augumenti._

Water came pouring from her wand, drenching the flames enough that Eva was able to guide her father's body towards the opening and crawl after him with Friend. The night air felt like kisses on her burned skin. She looked down on the city below them and felt tears sting her eyes. The bubble-head charms flickered and vanished, and her father dropped onto the patio floor.

 _We're fifteen floors up._

Eva retched, her whole body shaking and burning. She could barely move, and she couldn't think of a single spell that could save them.

 _I'd rather fly than burn._

Wrapping her arms around her father and tucking Friend into her pajama top, Eva pointed at the railing, "D-Diffindo."

The barrier between her and the night sky exploded into the darkness. Eva took a rattling breath and heaved her father up with a strength she thought was long gone.

 _I'm sorry._

Eva closed her eyes and pushed them all away from the remainder of the building.

 _So this is what it feels like to die._

* * *

O

* * *

Rose wasn't even aware that she was screaming as the two bodies plummeted from the sky. The sirens muggles used to signal death and disaster were shrieking all around her, and the red lights flickered along her and Albus' skin.

"Rose, look!"

Rose watched as Eva and her father halted in mid-air, and she knew her mother had gotten there in time.

Thank you," she breathed, tears now pouring down her face. She was shaking with uncontrollable sobs for the first time since childhood.

Albus was gripping her hand tightly and repeating the same words over and over again, "They're going to be okay."

"Rose! Al!"

Rose whirled around to see her father running towards them through the crowd of terrified muggles, "Mum is making sure they're taken to Saint Mungo's, we can meet them there."

"Where'd my dad go?" Albus asked anxiously, looking around.

Her dad began guiding them through the crowd towards the car, "He's investigating what happened. It looks like the building was set fire by wizards, Al. None of the muggle alarms worked, and all the doors were sealed shut by magic. There was some sort of glamour that kept the neighbourhood from noticing the blaze until it was too late."

Rose felt her stomach heave.

 _So this is what war looks like._

* * *

O

* * *

Eva opened her stinging eyes slowly and looked down at her chest. She was wearing a pale yellow shift that she had never seen before. Blinking, her eyes shifted to a small furry body nestled between her arm and her ribcage.

 _Friend._

She stirred groggily, slowly realizing she wasn't in her bed.

 _The fire. Dad. Dad._

Eva tried to speak but her throat burned so badly that she spent the next few minutes hacking. Her chest felt like it had been crushed.

* * *

O

* * *

Rose and Albus sat side by side in the waiting room with James, Ginny and her parents. Lily and Albus were staying with Grandpa and Grandma Weasley, and Uncle Harry was still trying to figure out who had caused the fire that claimed the lives of over three hundred muggles.

"Mr. Weasley?"

Rose watched as her father got up and went to speak with a kind faced Healer. She watched in horror as her father closed his eyes briefly and ran his fingers through his greying red hair. The Healer walked away and Ron turned to face his family.

"Frank was dead before Eva pulled him from the building."

"No!" Rose shrieked at the same time Al began to cry and James smashed his fist into the wall.

Ginny wrapped her arms around her youngest son, "I'm sorry, Al."

"I-It's not fair. She lost her mum just last year. She can't lose him too," Al sobbed into his mother's shoulder.

Rose felt like her body was crumbling into nothingness. She leaned into her father's embrace and tried to think, but all she do was picture Eva's face when she learned that her father was gone.

"Rose, sweetheart?" her dad whispered.

Rose looked up into her dad's blue eyes.

"The Healer wants to know if she has family we can contact."

Al rubbed his eyes, "I think she might have a great aunt on her mum's side but… I'm not sure."

"Why do they want to know that?" Rose challenged.

Her mum sighed, "She won't be of age for another few months, and another year and a bit in the muggle world. Her government will want to place her with a guardian, her next of kin."

Rose leapt to her feet, "We are not sending her off to live with some person she has never met and who doesn't even know she's a witch!"

"We weren't saying-" her father began.

James whirled on his mother, cutting off his uncle, "She can have my room. I'm barely home anymore anyways. I can sleep in Al's room when I'm around."

"You can confund the muggles right? So they don't know?" Al asked.

Ginny looked at her two sons, "If Eva wants to stay with us then we will make it happen."

Rose looked at parents, "She could live with us too, right?"

Her mum nodded, "Yes, Rose. Of course. The Potters have more room, but she would be welcome to share your room if she wanted."

Ron took his daughter's hand, "She can stay with whoever she wants, Rose. Eva is family."

A raw scream broke into their conversation like an icy blade.

"Eva!" Rose shouted, leaping to her feet and looking at her parents wildly, "they told her?"

Rose felt Al grab her hand. All the colour had drained from his face from listening to his friend's heartbroken shrieks.

"She shouldn't be alone," Al breathed.

The sound of smashing ricocheted down the hall.

"Miss. O'Connor, please calm down!"

"M-Miss!"

Rose sprinted towards where the sounds were coming from, desperately trying to reach her best friend. By the time she reached the hospital room, Eva was standing in the middle of the room, shrieking and crying like Rose had never seen anyone do before. Various tables and instruments around the room had been smashed into the wall, and the glass window was vibrating. Rose could feel Eva's magic whirling around the room, completely unleashed by the pain her friend was experiencing.

Rose felt Albus' hand tighten in hers.

The Head Healer looked at them, "I'm going to have to stun her if she doesn't calm down."

"Eva?" Rose approached her friend cautiously.

Eva didn't move or look up, she just rocked back and forth on her feet whimpering softly to herself. Her magic was wildly stripping portraits off the walls, and smashing loose objects into the walls. She was completely unhinged.

Rose took a deep breath and walked up to her friend, touching her pale face softly. Eva's eyes open. Her dark blue eyes seemed to be completely devoid of soul.

 _How can she survive this?_

"Ev?" Albus approached them, and reached out to touch Eva's arm softly.

Recognition flickered in Eva's eyes and tears began to stream down her face. "He's gone," she whispered brokenly.

Rose nodded.

Eva fell forward into her friends and the three of them sunk to the floor, holding each other. Rose rocked her small friend back and forth, feeling like she was holding a small child.


	10. Chapter 10: Fracture

_Hello! Hooray for not studying at all... Seriously should have waited until finals were over before getting into this. Turns out living inside my imagination is a lot more fun than learning about various research strategies._

 _On a much more exciting note... Welcome Madditeal and Dul'mephistos *does embarrassing dance move*! Thank you for Following guys :) Also, special thanks to Dul'Mephistos for the review, I REALLY REALLY REALLY appreciate it!_

* * *

 **Fracture**

It was one of those hot summer mornings that caused sweat to break out across the back of one's neck after doing the tiniest bit of exercise, and Eva O'Connor and James Potter stood at the back of large field, both drenched in sweat, their wands aloft. At almost twenty, James no longer had the look of a teenage boy. His dark reddish hair was tied back in a topknot and a short, fiery red beard clung to his sharp jaw. Only his eyes and freckle-covered skin were the same as the boy she had met on the train six years ago. Of all the people left in her life, James was the only one who hadn't looked at her different since her father's death, and Eva clung to his seeming indifference like a drowning woman.

James flung spells at her like she was forty instead of sixteen, and she fought him like her life depended on it. A sizzling curse shrieked by her left ear, and Eva dodged to the side and threw one in return - which he managed to deflect. He hurled one back at her almost instantly, causing her to stagger backwards

 _Protego!_

A shimmering blue shield deflected James' curse with such force that it threw him backwards into a tree, where he crumpled to the ground, his sides heaving.

"James!" Eva hurled herself onto the grass beside him and peered anxiously at his face, her hands fumbling at his sides.

"Calm down, Ev. I'm fine." James propped himself up on his elbows and gave her a reassuring look. Sweat trickled down his temples into his beard.

"Thank god," Eva breathed, lowering her head in relief.

"Y'know, I've been training with Aurors every day for two months and I'm pretty sure they go easier on me than you do. You're shield charms pack enough of a punch that they're basically an offensive spell."

Eva smiled slightly, "Yeah well, makes up for the fact that I'm not as good at making things explode as Rose and you are."

James sighed, his brown eyes suddenly full of concern, "You don't have to be a warrior, Ev."

Eva rocked back on her heels before taking a seat in the grass in front of him, "Yes I do, James. We all do."

"I thought you were going to be a Healer," James asked softly.

Eva felt like he had reached into her chest and grabbed her heart, "The two people I wanted to protect more than anything are dead, James. I'm clearly not very good at saving." She dug her fingers into the ground, "I'm so tired of trying to fix everything and failing, James. I want to hurt the people who are trying to tear us apart. I want to light their world on fire like they did mine."

"Eva," James began gently, reaching out and taking her hand.

Eva pulled her hand out of his reach, "I appreciate your concern, James. But if you don't want to teach me how to fight, I'll do it on my own."

"It's not that. I just don't want you to try and be something you aren't. You're not the kind of person who feels good hurting others, and you're certainly not a killer."

Eva met his eyes stonily, "If the world can change, then so can I."

Eva," he began, "you're like a sis-"

"A sister to you. I know James. Thank you," Eva pushed herself up and turned back to the house.

* * *

O

* * *

Rose watched her best friend leave James under the tree and make her way back towards the house. They had all been practicing with Harry and Ginny once a day, but Eva practiced every chance she got. James couldn't be home for more than five seconds before Eva had dragged him outside to show her a new counter-curse or spell. Rose had never seen her friend display such cold, determined anger. It was like every second that ticked by, Eva crawled further into herself.

 _We're losing her._

Rose watched Eva push her way through the back door. She had cut her hair sometime in the night.

 _She looks like a different person._

Eva's honey blonde hair fell a few inches above her shoulders. Without the all the hair to hide it, the scar on her collar bone looked even more severe. Red and puckered where the bone had ripped the skin open, with small little marks above it from Friend's teeth. Rose could see the galleon sized burns along her arms and shoulders, mixed in with smaller burns that looked almost like pearly freckles. The Healers had offered to remove them, but Eva had elected to keep her scars. In candlelight the burns looked like unicorn blood.

"Your hair looks good."

Eva looked up. If she had been surprised to see Rose sitting at the Potter's kitchen table she didn't look it, "Lily did it for me last night."

"She did a good job."

"Yeah, she did. When did you get here?"

Rose looked at her friend for some sort of hint that she was happy to see her, but Eva's face was impassive. Rose shifted in her chair, "Do you want some tea?"

 _Grandma Weasley says there's nothing a good cup of tea can't fix, but she's definitely wrong._

Eva gave her a faint smile, "Sure."

Rose flicked her wand and set the kettle boiling, "It's weird to be able to use magic without being seventeen. Mum always made sure we followed the Ministry's rules surrounding underage magic but now…"

"They encourage it," Eva finished, using her wand to summon tea bags and poor the hot water.

Rose looked down as a little orange mug made its way over to her. Two sugar cubes plunked in. "Thanks Ev," Rose whispered, shocked to realize that her throat was constricting with tears. The small gesture, remembering how she liked her tea, was the most intimate interaction they had had in the two weeks since Frank's death.

"Oh, Rose."

Rose felt Eva's arms encircle her, "Don't cry."

 _She's lost both her parents, and she's comforting you._

Rose tried to hold back her tears, but silent sobs were shaking her, "I'm afraid for you." She turned to look into her friend's eyes, "I feel like I'm losing you."

Eva sighed and sat down, "Don't worry, Rose. I just need some time."

Rose nodded, trying to pull herself back together, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be the one crying."

Eva kissed her friend's forehead, "Don't be sorry. It's hard to watch someone suffer and not be able to help."

* * *

O

* * *

Eva looked at her reflection in the mirror and carefully traced the scar beneath her collar bone with a finger. She hadn't wanted the scars removed. They wouldn't have been able to take them away without magic, and Eva wanted to wear the scars as a small testament to her muggle blood.

 _Plus, it doesn't feel right to be this broken without something on my skin._

"Eva!" Al called from outside the bathroom, "We've got to leave for the station in fifteen, okay?"

"I'll be ready," Eva answered, turning her attention back to putting on her new school robes.

Everything she owned had gone up in the fire other than her wand. Her father hadn't had any sort of insurance, so she had inherited only what he had in his account when he died, about £300. Ginny had refused to let her use the money to replace any of her clothes or school supplies. The Potters had bought everything.

"Eva, we have put Friend in the car already so no need to look for him," Ginny said through the door.

"Thank you Mrs. Potter," Eva replied, opening the door.

Ginny stood in the hallway, her arms full of textbooks and various items that her children had forgotten. She smiled at Eva softly, "Don't forget to write to us every now and then."

Eva nodded, "I'll write."

Ginny suddenly dropped the bundle and wrapped Eva in a tight hug, "We'll see you for Christmas."

Eva nestled her nose into the crook of Ginny's neck and let the older woman cling to her. She knew Ginny cared about her, and it felt good to have her around.

 _Like a mother._

Eva broke away, wrestling to lock her emotions back inside her chest. She had cried for almost three days after they had told her about her father, and she wasn't going to cry anymore. Crying did nothing. She had cried thousands of times over the years as the cancer stripped away at her mother's bones, and an ocean's worth of tears hadn't done anything to save her.

Ginny bent down and picked up what she had dropped, "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, Mrs. Potter."

Ginny looked like she wanted to say more, but instead gestured towards the front door, "Of you go then. We don't want to miss the train."

Eva nodded and grabbed her trunk, pulling it down the stairs and out onto the lawn. James took her things and loaded them into the extended trunk.

Albus caught up with them and loaded his things on top of Eva's. Albus was now almost three inches taller than James, surpassing his father and standing nose-to-nose with his uncle Ron. Al still had the peaky look of someone who had grown a lot in a short period of time, but he was now shaving regularly, and his face had a maturity to it that it hadn't before. Except for his height and certain scar, he looked almost exactly like his father had at sixteen. "You looking forward to being back at Hogwarts, James?"

James nodded, leaning casually against the trunk and surveying his younger brother, "Actually, yes. I am."

The Auror office was placing a few people at Hogwarts for extra security, and James' mentor had been one of the ones accepted. Five weeks ago Eva would have been burning with excitement at the idea of having James around again, but now she simply looked at it as an opportunity to watch him sneak kisses with his girlfriend Crystal, who was starting her seventh year. It wasn't that she had stopped loving him, but she knew he was never going to feel the same about her.

 _It doesn't matter anymore. There are bigger things happening._

Eva crawled into the back seat (which was more like a giant bench) with Lily. The youngest Potter was starting her third year and was ridiculously excited to finally be able to go to Hogsmeade. She had the same big brown eyes and freckles as her mother and brother, and the same impish grin as her uncle George.

 _I guess you'll be going for the first time too._

Eva pressed herself back into the seat. She had always used the Hogsmeade trips to visit her parents and then, after her mother died, her father. The Headmistress had connected the Floo Network to a fireplace in an abandoned pub near her dad's apartment. While the rest of her schoolmates had gone to Hogsmeade, McGonagall had escorted her to her father's flat. Eva wondered if she would ever be able to enjoy the things her friends did, or if she'd feel like an empty shell for the rest of her life.

* * *

O

* * *

Rose sat across from Albus on the Hogwarts Express, munching on a Chocolate Frog. She had just finished patrolling the corridors with her boyfriend, and gazed out the window absent-mindedly. Luka had been made Head Boy over the summer and was incredibly proud of himself. He had written Rose immediately over the summer to tell her, and it had taken what felt like the entirety of her soul to seem excited about it. It wasn't that she didn't care, it was just that she didn't care much anymore about being a Prefect or getting good grades. All she wanted was to rewind time and save Mr. O'Connor from that apartment building.

Rose glanced over at Eva. Her friend was curled up on her seat, taking up less than half of the bench. She had fallen asleep before Rose had left to meet the other prefects and was still sound asleep almost an hour later. Her honey blonde hair hung in short waves around her sleeping face, making her look like years younger.

The screech of the compartment door opening made Rose and Al look up.

Marie walked into the compartment, wearing her familiar black-eyeliner and an expression of contempt on her beautiful face.

"Sod off," Albus and Rose snapped at precisely the same time.

Marie arched a perfect eyebrow, "Why, no need to be so aggressive. I merely came to offer my condolences to our dear Eva. Such a loss… How will the world ever cope?"

Rose stood up in front of her sleeping friend, "Get out of here, now."

Scorpius appeared behind his girlfriend, eyeing the situation calmly.

Rose narrowed her eyes at her second least favorite person at Hogwarts. It wasn't fair that he could look so put together when the rest of them were barely holding it together. He had gotten taller too.

"You seriously came here to make Eva feel worse about losing her father?" Albus snarled at Marie.

Marie feigned hurt, "I would never be so cruel. I was curious though, did he actually burn alive, or did he suffocate?"

Albus drew his wand.

"Stop it!" Rose shouted.

Albus and Marie both stared at her in what could only be described as open-mouthed shock.

Rose looked from Eva, who was miraculously still asleep, to Albus. "She wouldn't want us fighting. I don't want her to wake up to fighting."

Albus slowly put his wand away but still glared at Marie with unveiled disgust, "Just leave. Just fucking leave."

Marie opened her mouth, but Scorpius rested his hand on her shoulder firmly.

Rose felt her breath catch, completely unsure of where things were going.

"See you at school," Scorpius said quietly, guiding his girlfriend out of the compartment.

Rose blinked. If hadn't been Scorpius Malfoy standing in front of her, she would have sworn that he had looked at her with something very close to respect.

Rose sat in silence for a few minutes, contemplating the look on Scorpius' face. Though he never went out of his way to abuse them, if his friends went in for a kick he was usually not far behind.

 _I guess there is a first for everything._

The sound of the compartment opening again made her muscles clench and she grabbed for her wand, "Seriously, bitch?" Rose snarled, whirling to face the black haired girl.

 _And you are not Marie._

Where Marie had skin the colour of caramel, this girl was almost porcelain. She eyed Rose with cautious hazel eyes, "I'm sorry? What did you call me?" Her voice wasn't aggressive, but she sounded a bit put-off.

Albus looked up, "Cassie, right?"

The girl nodded, "Yeah. I'm surprised you recognized me, I'm a year under you." She looked at Rose, "I'm in Slytherin too, in case you're wondering."

Rose bit her lip, and then put out her hand, "Rose Weasley."

 _Taking prejudice down one handshake at a time. I think Eva's my spirit animal._

Cassie smiled and took her hand, "Cassie Greengrass."

"Oh! You're Cassiopeia." Albus exclaimed, "Scorpius' cousin."

Rose practically felt her eyebrows hit her hairline, "Seriously?"

Cassie looked a bit awkward, "Erm, just Cassie. But yeah, Scorpius is my cousin on my mother's side." She looked around a little uncomfortably, "Do you mind if I sit?"

Albus said told her to sit down a little too enthusiastically, and Rose eyed the colour in his cheeks with a growing sense of surprise.

 _Merlin's pants. He likes her. I don't think I've ever seen Al blush over a girl._

Cassie smiled and took a seat beside Albus, "Thanks. My best friend sort of… Well, she has a new boyfriend now, and I don't get on with him very well."

"Who's she seeing?" Al asked.

"Troy Lestrange. You probably know him, he's in your year."

Rose narrowed her eyes, "So your friend's a Death Eater?"

Cassie looked at Rose stoically, "No, she isn't. She's just not very strong-willed."

"What's the difference?" Rose snapped, unable to help herself.

 _I am so bloody sick of all these Slytherin shits falling into the Dark Arts because of their weak spines and family trauma._

"Merlin, Rose. No need to jump down her throat," Albus growled.

"No, it's fine." Cassie said slowly, "I guess the difference is that she isn't cruel. She doesn't hate muggles, whatever she says in front of Troy."

"Nice friend," Rose drawled.

"Yes, well, I guess that's why I am sitting here with you instead of them, isn't it?" Cassie replied calmly.

Rose nodded, "Good point."

A rustle from the corner signified that Eva had finally pushed herself up into a seated position.

"Hey sleep head," Albus said with a smile.

Eva nodded at Cassie, "Hey there."

Cassie smiled and held out her hand, "Cassie Greengrass."

"Eva O'Connor."

Sympathy flickered across Cassie's face "I'm really sorry about your father. I know you lost him recently."

Eva looked a bit surprised, but if the comment brought back any sorrow then she didn't show it.

"How did you hear about my father?"

Cassie shifted a bit uncomfortably, "Scorpius told me. I spent a week with his family in Majorca at the end of August. I assumed Albus told him."

Rose snorted, "Malfoy hasn't talked to Al in almost a year. Whoever he heard it from, it wasn't us."

Cassie shrugged, "Well then I don't know, I'm sorry."

Eva smiled, "It doesn't matter. Thank you Cassie, it was kind of you to say that."

Cassie nodded and then looked at her watch, "We will be there in 10 minutes. I had better get back to my compartment." She looked at Al, "Don't be a stranger."

Albus swallowed, "I won't."

As soon as Cassie was gone Eva gave Al a sly look, "She's cute, hey?"

Rose burst into laughter at the look on Al's face.

* * *

O

* * *

The great hall was abuzz with the usual start-of-year chatter, but Eva couldn't help but feel it was damped slightly by the darkness of the news most of the students were sharing. She wasn't the only one to have lost someone over the holidays. Eva sat between Rose and Charlotte, watching the first year students make their way up to the front on trembling knees. It was hard to remember why she had ever been worried about something as simple as a sorting ceremony.

The headmistress strode out in front of the school and placed the sorting hat on the stool.

 _"We're heading towards trouble  
a tangle with a foe.  
So I ask you all, here and now,  
where you want to go.  
For we must all be true and loyal  
and wise beyond our years  
or history will repeat itself,  
drowning Hogwarts in its tears.  
We must all be braver than our blood  
and driven to succeed.  
For our legacy is heavy now,  
and crippled with old greed.  
So put aside your differences,  
and stand up fierce and tall  
for darkness climbs in every crack  
eager for our fall."  
_

The great hall seemed to creak under the weight of the silence left by the Sorting Hat's speech, and the babble of voices only resumed when McGonagall called the name of the first child to be sorted.

Eva turned to Rose, "Your mum said that it might try and warn us, but I didn't expect that."

"Neither did I." Rose grimaced, leaning heavily on her forearms, her brown eyes lost in thought.

Eva turned her attention back to the front, but couldn't stop thinking about the Sorting Hat's finale.

 _Eager for our fall._

Once the sorting was complete McGonagall stepped up to the podium to address the students, "Everyone knows that there are dark tides on the horizon. I did not expect us to be tested again so soon, but I have every confidence that we will rise to the occasion and defend our fellows." She paused, surveying what seemed like the face of every student before her, "A reminder to you all that we are only strong for as long as we are together, divided we _will_ fall. One of the most incredible wizards I have ever known always put forward that it was our love of others that made us strong. And so I urge you not to close your hearts to one another." She cleared her throat, "However, precautions must be made."

A tall man in dark red robes stood up from where he had been seated at the side of the hall and made his way to the podium.

"My names if Fredric Logos, and I am an Auror with the Ministry of Magic. These are my colleagues, Javier Crane and Louisa Stern."

Rose nudged Eva, "Crane is James' mentor."

Logos continued, "We will be here throughout the term to ensure your safety, and to discourage any acts of violence within these walls. Because of the elusive nature of the enemy we are dealing with, I encourage anyone with any information to come forward and speak to myself, a teacher, or my colleagues. Even if it is only a suspicion. We will investigate any lead."

 _They want us to inform on each other. How are we supposed to trust anyone?_

* * *

O

* * *

It was the third week of classes, and Eva sat cross-legged on a fluffy cushion, staring into a crystal ball. Albus, who hadn't slept in a Divination class since her vison last year, watched with bated breath.

"Al, I can't concentrate with you staring at me like that."

"Sorry," AL said sheepishly, settling himself back on the pillows and flipping through _Unfogging the Future_. "It's just, we could really use a heads up if something is going to happen."

Eva sighed, that was the truth. Three more muggle apartment buildings had been targeted since her and her father's was destroyed. The Ministry of Magic was monitoring all the high-residency muggle buildings in the UK, but they still weren't able to keep the fires from happening. Thankfully, Eva's apartment had been the only one where over three-quarters of the residents died, but muggles were still being killed at an alarming rate. Some of the more fanatic-esque religious groups were calling it Armageddon. A few waterways had been poisoned (which the Ministry was able to rectify in short notice), and more subways had gone off the rails in the last month than in the last five years.

Eva peered into the globe for a while longer before throwing herself back into the cushions in frustration. She was beginning to think that her vision in the crystal ball had been a fluke and the dream (of what she assumed was the Elder Wand being stolen from Gringotts), was nothing but creative interpretation.

Albus looked into the orb briefly before sighing, "Well there's no way I'm going to see anything. We might as well try and work on Goodwin's essay."

Eva nodded and pulled her parchment out from her bag.

"Hey, you never told me how you did on your O. ," Al said, looking at her.

 _That's because I completely forgot I even got the results back.._

"Oh. Right. Um, I got an A in Divination, Es in Herbology and Transfiguration, Os in Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms and Herbology."

Al whistled, "When pho-ey then."

Eva shrugged, "It doesn't matter anyways."

"You meant what you told James then, about not wanting to be a Healer anymore?"

Eva sighed, of course James would have told Al. "Yeah. I meant it."

Al nodded. Unlike Rose, he had never been one to question her, "Know what you want to do now? Be an Auror like Rose?"

Eva shook her head, leaning back into the cushions. "No, I don't want to do that. Fighting back isn't a job for me. It's more…"

"Personal?" Al suggested, looking sad.

Eva nodded as the familiar feeling of heaviness settled on her chest.

 _Might as well tell him._

"I was thinking about dropping out."

"What?" Al looked shocked.

"Yeah. I mean, I will be seventeen in January, so no one can stop me."

"But what will you do?" Al asked, unable to keep the concern from leaking into his voice.

"I want to join the Order." Eva shrugged, looking out the window, "They can use all the help they can get."

"My parents will hate that. They'll want you to stay in school."

Eva shrugged, "I know, but I think they'll take me once they realize I'm not going to give up."

Al nodded, "Yeah, they will. I wish you'd stay though."

Eva smiled and bumped Al's foot with hers, "I'm not one hundred percent sure yet, Al. But it is something I am considering."

"Thanks for telling me, Ev. You know I'll support you whatever you choose, I just don't want to have to say good-bye."

Eva looked at her green-eyed friend and smiled, "You won't have to."

"Mr. Potter, Miss. O'Connor." Trelawney floated over, looking as stern as she possibly could be while covered in shawls and glittering beads.

"Yes?" Albus asked innocently.

"I do not appreciate you doing other school work in my classroom. You will not see anything of the future with your face smushed into a book."

Eva rolled her eyes and shoved her paper back into her book bag, turning back to the crystal ball.

 _A creature she had only seen in books drifted across the earth, freezing blades of grass and making ice crackle in the underbrush. It turned its eyeless face to her and inhaled. Everything went cold._

"Eva! Eva!" Al was shouting and shaking her.

Eva blinked her eyes open, her head pounding. Al's green eyes stared down in to hers with an expression of pure panic.

"My dear! You've had a vision! Please, quickly, tell us what you've seen," Trelawney practically shrieked, vibrating with excitement.

Eva sat up and began to frantically gather her books while simultaneously pushing Trelawney's boney hands off her, "I have to go."

Trelawney wouldn't let go, "No! You cannot! You must tell u-"

"STOP TOUCHING ME AND LET ME LEAVE!" Eva screamed, causing almost everyone within fifteen feet of her to flinch away from her.

 _Yes, you idiots, I am just as capable of yelling like a crazed freak as the rest of you._

Al hurriedly began to gather his stuff, "Yep, that's right. We're going."

Eva shot him a grateful look and the two of them began making their way towards the trap door.

* * *

"You're telling me that you saw a dementor in a crystal ball, in _Divination_?" Crane questioned, looking at Eva with absolute incredulity.

Eva sighed, frustrated, "Yes, sir. The dementors are coming back. You need to tell someone."

"We haven't seen dementors in almost thirty years, they died out after the Last Wizarding War." The red-robed wizard looked like he was torn between laughing and telling her to sod-ff.

"Well they're back, and we should probably stop saying the 'last' Wizarding War, don't you agree?" Eva snapped.

Crane raised his eyebrows, "Forgive me if I'm a little sceptical about your source of information, young lady."

"Sir," James interjected, "if Eva saw a dementor, then there are dementors coming. This isn't the first vision she's had."

Eva gave James a faint smile.

James was leaning against the desk wearing handsome dark green robes that clashed wonderfully with the short, fiery red beard that now shadowed his jaw. He turned confidently to his mentor, "She saw the dark mark in a crystal ball a little less than twenty-four hours before it was conjured."

Eva made note of how he didn't mention the Elder Wand.

 _Harry, Hermione and Ron must still be keeping that a secret._

Crane considered her for a moment, before turning back to James, "Send and owl to the office and tell them to be on the lookout." He looked at her, "I will speak to your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor about teaching Patronus'."

Albus looked outraged, "That's all you're going to do? The public needs to know!"

Crane sighed, "This is all I can do. Forgive me, Miss. O'Connor, but I will not whip the public into a panic over a vision had by a sixteen year old girl in a Divination class."

* * *

Eva rubbed her face irritably and leaned into the wall. She had told Al that she was going back to the Gryffindor common room, but she had turned the other way as soon as he was out of sight. She needed to be alone. She knew that when things went wrong for Rose, her friend needed to be in the middle of something and screaming before she knew how she felt. When Albus was upset he needed to distract himself, or blow up into a huge rage and then be given time to burn out. Eva preferred a quieter route. She wanted to go back to the common room and tell Rose what she had seen, but she needed to figure out what she wanted first. Her friend would have forty-five plans of action, and they would all have to happen right away. Eva loved Rose and Al more than she loved anyone else in the world, but sometimes she had to be away from them to figure out what she was supposed to do.

"O'Connor?"

 _So much for alone._

Eva turned to see Scorpius leaning against the opposite wall. He looked older. His shoulders and chest had filled out, and his jawline glittered faintly with white-blonde stubble. He had cut his hair over the summer, and Ava wondered if he knew how popular his haircut had been with muggles in the 1920s. His grey eyes were, as always, unreadable.

Eva considered telling him to fuck off, but then she remembered what had happened in the train. He could have started in on her with Marie, but he didn't.

"Thanks for calling Marie off earlier."

His grey eyes narrowed slightly, "I thought you were asleep."

"I'm good at pretending to sleep."

He nodded, "I see. And you don't need to thank me for that."

She looked at him, tilting her head slightly to the side, "You're right. I shouldn't feel like I have to thank you for acting like a decent human being."

Scorpius ran his hands through his blonde hair, looking away from her and down the hall. Eva could tell he was trying to act casual, but she suspected she had hurt him.

 _Don't you dare feel sorry for him._

"How did you hear about my father?"

He looked at her, "My father. He knows people in the Ministry."

She shook her head, confused. "Yes but the Ministry wouldn't have cared about my father."

"They don't."

"Then what-" she began.

"I cared about your father."

Eva stared at him, stunned.

His grey eyes reflected her like a lake in the head of winter, and the shadows hit the angles of his cheekbones, making his features harsher. He didn't look like a man who would care about her muggle father.

"You had some sort of vision in Divination?" he asked, pushing through her silence.

"Yes," she answered without thinking.

 _I probably should have lied to him._

"Of what?"

 _Now lie._

"A dementor."

 _Why aren't you lying?_

 _Because he didn't lie to me._

He nodded slowly, as if her admission made perfect sense to him.

A sound down the hallway made them both look away from each other. A group of students had appeared and were moving towards them. They were far enough away that Eva couldn't see what colours they wore.

"See you around, Ev." Scorpius turned and disappeared down the nearest corridor.

Eva watched him go with an unfamiliar feeling in her chest. Something between loss and apathy. A kind of desperate resignation.


	11. Chapter 11: Fireworks

_Hey! So I want to start off with a reminder that this story is rated M. I know it hasn't seemed like that so far, but things are going to "heat up" a bit now...So be warned!_

 _Thank you to the guest reviewer who gave me some feedback on Scorpius' personality! I hope you keep reading because I think you'll like where things are going._

* * *

 **Ch 11. Fireworks**

Professor Goodwin stood at the front of the classroom, surveying the Sixth Year Slytherins and Gryffindors. The tension between the two groups was predictably tense. He waited for the class to fall silent before addressing them, "I have received a request from the Aurors staying at Hogwarts to teach you all how to perform the Patronus Charm."

There were a few snickers. Eva shuffled her feet awkwardly, she could literally feel everyone looking at her.

"Excuse me, professor, why would we learn a charm to repel a creature that has been extinct for years?" someone asked from the back of the classroom.

Marie smirked, "Well, because the angel of Gryffindor had a vision of danger."

More people snickered.

"Quiet. None of you need to know why I am asking you to do this, only that I am indeed asking, and you had better do it if you want to pass."

Despite having been assured by James that Crane hadn't told anyone about her visit, the entire school knew that she was the freak who had a 'vision in Divination class.' Thus, she was entirely to blame for everyone above fourth year being forced to learn an extremely difficult spell, which they would have otherwise avoided. She was by far the least popular person in school.

Rose gave her a look as if to say 'don't listen to them.'

 _Fat chance. I've already got Marie pretending to be a Dementor every time she sees me._

Professor Goodwin repeated the spell over a few times before directing everyone to think of something happy and give it a go. They were trying for the first time without any distractions, but he informed them that once they could all produce something he would find a boggart.

Eva took a deep breath, "Expeco Patronum."

Nothing happened.

 _Right, think of something happy first._

Eva shut her eyes and tried conjure up a happy childhood memory, but each one lead her back to the present.

 _Every memory I have is tainted._

She stood still for a few minutes, trying to think of a happy memory that didn't involve either of her parents.

 _Something with Al and Rose._

Eventually she settled on a memory from the summer before Third Year. Al and Rose had both come over to her flat for the first time, and they had watched the entire Alien Trilogy from start to finish. She smiled, remembering Rose screaming every time an alien appeared and Al throwing up in the popcorn bowl after eating two packs of Twizzlers by himself.

She tried again and the tiniest silver thread drifted from her wand.

"You're going to need to think of a stronger memory, Miss. O'Connor," Goodwin said, eyeing the pitiful mist that was already disappearing.

Sighing, Eva chewed the inside of her cheek and looked over at Al. His face was screwed up in concentration, but he had managed to produce a fair amount of vapour, though it seemed to be pretty directionless.

"Keep working on it. This is very difficult magic, but you should all be capable of it." Goodwin called to everyone.

"Eva! Al! Look!" Rose shouted excitedly.

Eva looked over to see the mist from Rose's wand solidifying into a large animal.

"Merlin, Rose. Could you be any more of a Gryffindor?" Albus laughed.

A lioness prowled around Rose, looking around the room a few times before disappearing.

Rose looked absolutely ecstatic. She was the first person to produce a distinguishable Patronus and few students were eyeing her irritably.

"Well done Miss. Weasley!" Professor Goodwin congratulated, "Ten points to Gryffindor. That was remarkable. Most people take more than a few tries to achieve a corporeal Patronus."

Rose beamed and turned to Al and Eva, "How are you two coming along?"

Albus scratched his head and sighed, "I had some silver vapour at one point, but I keep getting distracted and losing my memory."

Eva tried to look as exasperated as Al, "Yeah. Me too."

She was pretty sure she wasn't going to be able to conjure a Patronus anytime soon. Once her friends went back to their attempts at conjuring a Patronus, Eva looked around the classroom to see how everyone else was doing.

Marie was the only person other than Rose who had managed a corporeal Patronus. A handsome ram stood beside her, its head raised proudly.

 _I wonder what her happy memory is._

 _Probably the Dark Mark appearing in the sky._

 _Or maybe it's all the muggles being killed._

Eva scuffed her foot on the ground angrily and looked away from Marie's success. It almost felt like a personal mockery that the person who had spent six years trying to make her miserable had a powerful enough happy memory to conjure a Patronus.

Eva jumped a little as her eyes met Scorpius'. He was watching her unabashedly while everyone else focused on their spell work. She had the feeling he knew why she had stopped trying. He almost looked as if he wanted to speak to her, but she knew that he wouldn't. Not in front of everyone. She pursed her lips and looked away, but she could still feel his stormy eyes somewhere on the back of her neck.

* * *

O

* * *

Rose exhaled, shuddering as Luka traced his finders up the inside of her thigh. They were lying on the grass beside the lake, enjoying the last few rays of summer sun. Or at least, they had been, until he'd started kissing her.

She eagerly pressed herself into his body, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing his neck. He slid his hand up until he was touching her though her panties, his breathing getting heavier.

Rose let out a little moan as he slid his hand into her underwear and up against her lips.

"You're really wet," he murmured breathlessly.

Rose felt herself blush. They had never gone this far before, and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do next, or if she should be so wet already.

Sensing her embarrassment, Luka kissed her, "It's so hot. I can't stop touching you."

As if to prove his point he wiggled his finger, sliding it inside her a tiny bit.

She gasped and kissed him harder, pulling at his hair. She had meant to stop him before he got into her underwear, but now she couldn't remember why. There was a tightness in her abdomen, and all she could think about was getting his finger further inside her. She pressed her hips into his hand.

Luka pushed his finger all the way inside her and moved it back and forth, "Holy shit, Rose. My god, you're so sexy."

Rose took her hand off his shoulder and slid it down between them, finding the spot between his legs. She wrapped her hand around him through his pants. She had felt his penis before, but she hadn't seen it. And she wanted to. She fumbled with his pants, struggling with his belt.

Luka moaned and removed his finger, propping himself up on one arm so that he could undo belt for her. "Sorry, couldn't wait," he laughed breathlessly.

Rose reached into his pants and pulled him out. If she had been wet before, then she had to be drenched now. She ran her hand along the shaft and Luka gasped.

"Merlin, Rose. How is a guy supposed to control himself around you?"

Rose smiled cheekily and bit his lip, "Maybe you should stop controlling yourself then?"

Luka's eyes widened.

Rose ran her finger along the tip of his penis. She wasn't entirely sure what she was inviting, but she was so turned on that she could barely breathe.

 _Well, you did tell Eva that you wanted him to be the one you lost it to._

Luka groaned and began kissing her again. He reached his hand underneath her skirt again and began pushing it up. Then he was pulling her underwear down.

 _If you want to stop you had better tell him now._

He pushed his finger inside her.

"L-Luka, wait."

Luka looked at her, chis chest heaving, "Yeah?"

"I, I don't want to do it yet."

He withdrew his finger, "Do you want to stop?"

She bit her lip, "No… I just don't want to go all the way."

Luka grinned, "I can handle that."

Rose laughed a little before pulling him down for another kiss.

He slid his finger back inside and then pushed in another one. Moving them back and forth until she had to bite his shoulder to keep from crying out.

 _If his fingers feel this good then I can't imagine what his dick will feel like._

Shaking, she slid her hand down to where his fingers were, and rubbed some of her wetness on to her hand. She really was soaked. Biting her lip, she ran her wet hand over his penis.

Luka made a sound in his throat and stopped moving his hand still inside her. Rose realized that he couldn't focus anymore, and she felt drunk with the power she suddenly had.

"Do you like that?" she asked.

"Yes," Luka breathed.

She closed her hand around him and began to slide it up and down his length. He began to move into her with his hips, moaning and kissing her neck.

"Oh my god, Rose. You're going to make me cum."

Rose felt she was on fire, her whole body was humming with excitement.

"Rose."

She pushed up her shirt so his penis would slide along the skin of her stomach as well as her hand. She could feel him shaking.

 _I'm the one making him shake like this._

She kissed him fiercely, biting his lip and pumping her hand until his whole body stiffened and he gasped, pressing himself into her harder.

"Rose."

She felt a little pulse at the base of his cock and wetness spread all over her stomach.

"Oh," she whispered.

* * *

O

* * *

By the time Eva got back from the library, Rose was in the shower. Eva sat on her four poster bed and scribbled some corrections on her History of Magic paper. Professor Bins was absolutely horrid, but she found the subject itself quite interesting. She had spent her primary years learning about the exploits of the British Empire, and Goblin riots were definitely preferable. After determining that her essay was completely factual, she pulled out Albus' and began to cross out dates.

 _How the hell does he write that the Goblin riots were in 1991? Good lord, Al. Did you even read my notes?_

Eva worked her way through the essay steadily. Al's writing was good, his facts were just completely bogus. They usually spent Sundays in the library together, but when Cassie had showed up and asked Al to go down to the lake with her, Eva had practically shoved him out the door. It felt a little bit lonely sometimes, with Al off with Cassie and Rose spending all her free time with Luka, but mostly she was grateful for the time alone. She knew she wasn't as fun to be around lately, and she didn't want her friends to miss out because she was.

She saw James a few times throughout the day, usually in the corridors between classes, or outside the Gryffindor common waiting for Crystal. It still hurt to see them together, but she didn't mind the pain as much anymore. It was almost nice to feel something other than the absence of her family.

The sound of Rose getting out of the shower made her look up, "Jeez, Rose. You must have been in there for over an hour. The date with Luka that hot?"

Rose ignored her comment and began rummaging around for clothes. She seemed incapable of meeting Eva's gaze.

Eva widened her eyes, "Oh my god."

Rose was taking a very long time to choose her socks.

Eva threw Al's essay to the side and jumped onto Rose's bed, "You guys did it?"

Rose gave a shaky laugh and collapsed on the bed, "Um. Not quite, no."

"So what happened?" Eva asked, staring at the sheepish expression on her beautiful friend's face. Rose being embarrassed was not something that happened very often.

Rose laughed nervously, "I made him cum for the first time." Her hands flew up to her mouth.

"Holy shit. How was it?"

"Sort of amazing. I felt really… powerful. I mean, he's the one who knows what's going on. He had sex with Zoe in fifth year, so he's got a lot more experience than I do. But today… today I felt like I was in control."

Eva whistled, "Damn. So you're happy then? Al and I don't have to kill him?"

Rose leaned into her friend's shoulder, "Incredibly."

"Are you going to have sex?"

"I want to. I think," Rose looked up at Eva, "I think I'm in love with him."

Despite everything, Eva couldn't help but let out a very girly shriek.

* * *

All the desks in the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom were pushed up against the wall to make enough space for the sixth year Slytherins and Gryffindors to stand facing a rusty of lockbox. Professor Goodwin cleared his throat, "So, now that you've all managed to at least produce a force field with the Patronus charm, we are going to introduce a boggart. Who can remind us of the spell used to defend against a boggart?"

Al raised his hand, " _Riddikulus_."

"Very good. Five points to Slytherin." Goodwin surveyed the classroom, "However, this time we will not be banishing the boggart, but trying to produce a Patronus in its presence. While the boggart will be a lot more pleasant than a Dementor would be, it will still provide enough distress that producing the charm should be more difficult."

Eva heard Marie whisper to her friend, "And since we will never actually see a Dementor…"

 _She's probably right._

Eva was beginning to doubt her conviction. The Dark Mark had appeared in the sky less than 24 hours after she had seen it in the crystal ball, but her vision of the Dementor had happened almost a month ago. Halloween was just around the corner, and she hadn't had a flicker of any sort of 'sight' since mid-September.

Goodwin continued, "The Patronus won't have any effect on the boggart itself, so once your turn is complete you will simply go to the back of the classroom and allow the person behind you to take your place. Now, everyone in this classroom will be faced with something they genuinely fear, so I ask that you _keep your opinions to yourself,"_ his eyes rested on Marie, Jaqueline and Victoria, who were whispering and giggling.

"This should be interesting," Rose murmured, "I honestly have no idea what it's going to turn into. I mean, I don't like bats very much. Or spiders."

Al nodded, "I don't know either."

Eva chewed the inside of her cheek and said nothing. She wasn't entirely sure what the boggart would become for her, but she had a pretty good idea of the theme.

 _Back of the line it is._

There was a general scuffling as the students pushed backwards, all fighting for the back of the line. Eager to watch other people face their worst fear, but not interested in being the spectacle.

"Alright, that's it. I know this is not the most appealing exercise, but I urge you all to be a bit more mature and stop scuffling like children," Goodwin snapped. "I will be calling names."

Eva groaned and sat down on top a desk with Rose and Albus, both of whom looked equally as grim.

"It's not that I'm afraid, I just don't want everyone watching," Rose grumbled irritably.

"We did Boggarts in third year," Albus commented quietly.

"Yes but I was thirteen and we were with the Hufflepuffs. The stakes are a lot higher now," Rose snapped, looking at Marie and the other Slytherins.

"I haven't done this before," Eva whispered.

Rose looked at her, "That's right! You were sick."

Eva nodded, she had come down with the flu for almost two weeks at the start of term. By the time she was better, Goodwin had just let her skip it.

"Miss. Carrow," Goodwin shouted, "up you go."

Victoria Carrow paled slightly but set her jaw and marched forward, squaring off with the rusty lockbox. Goodwin flicked his wand and the box opened.

Hundreds of tiny centipedes poured out of the opening, streaming onto the floor and towards Victoria. The girl stood completely frozen for a few seconds before holding up her wand, " _Expecto Patronum!"_ A silvery shield erupted from her wand.

"Very good! Tara Boot!"

Tara stumbled forward from her place between Charlotte and Becky.

"You can do it, Tara!" Rose shouted at her terrified looking house-mate.

Tara gave Rose a weak smile and faced off against the centipedes, which instantly turned into a huge bloody troll.

Tara shrieked and fell backwards, tripping over her robes and making Marie laugh loudly.

"Shut it, Zabini!" Goodwin shouted. "Up you go Tara, come on now."

Tara climbed to her feet, " _Exp- Expecto Patronum!_ " A silvery shield erupted from her wand.

"Good!" Goodwin congratulated. "Zabini, it's your turn!"

Marie narrowed her eyes and walked confidently towards the troll, which turned into a pack of snarling wolves.

" _Expecto Patronum!"_

Her ram Patronus formed instantly, lowering its horns and charging the wolves.

"Good," Goodwin barked. "Rose Weasley."

"You've got this, Rose." Eva said with a smile, giving her friend's hand a quick squeeze.

Rose practically ran forward, clearly ready to get it over with.

The wolves transformed into an iron cage.

" _Expecto Patronum!"_

A silvery lioness leaped forward, letting out a silent roar.

"Well done! Albus Potter!" Goodwin shouted.

Albus groaned but jumped from the desk and walked towards the cage, his wand gripped tightly in his hand.

The cage transformed into his father, crouching on the ground and looking defeated.

Albus stopped dead. His wand hand shaking.

 _You can do it, Al._

"Is that Harry Potter?" someone murmured from the crowd.

"Shut it!" roared Goodwin.

Goodwin's shout seemed to break Al from his trance, _"Expecto Patronum!"_

Mist poured from his wand, slowly forming a raccoon.

"Yeah Al!" Rose shouted.

Eva beamed. It was the first time Al had managed a corporeal Patronus. She gave Albus a tight hug once he got back to them, his chest heaving.

"I didn't… I didn't know it could do that. Really look inside like that. I thought," he ran his fingers through his messy black hair, "I thought it would be rats or something."

Eva bit her lip, she was dreading her turn more and more with each second.

"Scorpius Malfoy!"

Eva found Scorpius in the crowd. His face was blank, but there was a tightness to the corners of his grey eyes.

 _He's afraid._

"We don't have all day, Mr. Malfoy. Let's go."

Scorpius looked at Professor Goodwin for a few moments, before grabbing his jacket and walking out of the classroom.

"Didn't expect that," Rose murmured, her eyebrows raised.

 _I did._

"Very well," Professor Goodwin said, turning to face the crowd of students again, "Eva O'Connor."

Eva felt like the ground had dropped out from beneath her feet. She could hear Rose and Al saying something to her, but she couldn't make out the words. Taking a deep breath she slowly approached the boggart, which was flickering between different shapes after being left alone.

Eva blinked, and when she opened her eyes a hospital bed stood in the middle of the room. Her mother was lying on her back, with her eyes closed. Her cheeks were hollow and her skin had a sort of transparent bruised look. The heart monitor sent a soft beeping noise through the silent classroom.

 _My worst fear is a memory._

Eva had completely forgotten what she was supposed to be doing, all she could do was stare down at her mother's thin face. This was the bed her mother had died in, the one they had in the flat when she had become so ill the doctors stopped chemo. The hospice equipment was the same. The sheets were the same. It was like going back in time.

"Is that piss in a bag?" Marie laughed.

Eva felt vomit rise up in her throat.

 _Everyone can see her._

She whirled around and ran from the classroom, her feet pounding against the stones until she found herself on the battlements overlooking the lake. She grabbed onto the stone barrier and vomited over the side. Eva heaved until there was nothing left, her legs shaking fiercely.

Eva sat on the battlements between Al and Rose as the wind that howled around them. Her friend's had found her almost immediately, and stayed with her while she cried herself out. Now the three of them sat in silence, listening to the storm on the horizon. There wasn't anything they could say, and Eva was glad they didn't try. It was enough that they were here with her.

After a while Eva pulled herself to her feet, "Class has got to be over now."

At her signal, Al and Rose both climbed to their feet.

"Yeah, probably just ended," Al said, rubbing the stiffness out of his legs.

"I should try and catch Goodwin before he leaves, I don't want him to tell McGonagall I lost it. She's constantly trying to send me to Madam Pomfrey as it is," Eva sighed. The headmistress meant well, but no amount of calming draught was going to make being an orphan feel better.

Rose nodded, "Do you want us to come with you?"

"No, you go on to Charms. Let Flitwick know I'm going to be late?"

Rose nodded, "Sure."

Eva gave both her friends a hug and then made her way back inside. There were a few people in the halls still, so class had probably ended in the last five or ten minutes. Eva reached the classroom and pushed the door open.

There was someone still in the classroom, but it wasn't Professor Goodwin.

Scorpius stood at the front of the classroom, with his back to her and his wand dangling by his side. The tin box lay open on Goodwin's desk.

 _You wanted to know what you'd see, you just didn't want everyone else to see it to._

Eva felt her lungs constrict as she took in the scene before her. The Dark Mark drifted in the air above the tall blonde wizard like a thundercloud. The earie green light cast wavering silhouettes along the walls and the snake had stopped only a few inches from Scorpius' upturned face.

 _Oh, Scorpius._

She approached him slowly, not trying to be quiet, but not trying to be loud either. By the time he noticed her, she was beside him. He didn't say anything, but his eyes flickered around the classroom as if to make sure they were alone. She leaned into him slightly, her head falling a few inches short of his shoulder.

The boggart must have sensed her because the dark mark collapsed into the ground, forming the familiar hospital bed. It had appeared in a way that they were both left standing a few inches from the side of the bed. The heart monitor beeped quietly over the sound of their breathing. Eva looked down at her mother's face.

 _Hi mum._

"This is your mother." Scorpius whispered, looking at the skeletal woman nestled among snowflake patterned sheets.

Eva reached out her hand, but stopped a few inches short of her mother's fingers. "I don't know what would be worse," she whispered letting her hand drop to her side, "being able to touch her, or passing through."

Scorpius took her trembling hand.

 _I should say good-bye. I never got to._

Eva felt her throat closing around the words, but Scorpius must have understood because he stepped forward, returning the boggart's focus to him.

The Dark Mark crackled above their heads, sending greenish shadows along their skin.

"Scorpius, if this is what you fear…" she didn't need to finish. She knew he understood that she was asking why he was aligning himself with the kind of people who prayed for what hovered above them. For what he feared.

Scorpius let out a soft exhale and then raised his wand, _"Riddikulus."_

Red and yellow fireworks exploded above their heads, showering them with tiny, heat-less sparks.

"I've always loved fireworks, even the muggle ones," Scorpius murmured quietly.

Eva knew he wasn't going to say anything else, so she didn't push. The two of them just stood under the small explosions, holding hands and pretending they were somewhere else.


	12. Chapter 12: Songs

_Hello! Phew, exams are a serious drag. Thank you to everyone who is reading, you guys are amazing! please feel free to shoot me some feedback (pos or neg). Quick disclaimer: There are some song lyric snippets in this chapter. They are both by Daughter, with the first being 'Candles' and the second being 'Medicine.'_

 _Alsooooo, I am leaving you with a kind of distressing ending...but hang in there, I promise it will all make sense soon!_

* * *

 **Ch. 12 Songs**

Eva flicked through her Transfiguration notes as rain pounded on the window pane separating the Hogwarts library from the Halloween storm. Albus and Rose sat across from her working on their assignments in silence.

 _Best spell for object to animal transformation…_

She sighed and scribbled down her answer. Transfiguration was by far her worst subject, and since their little group lost Scorpius at the beginning of fifth year, her grades had taken a bit of a turn. Scorpius was a natural with Transfiguration, or at least he had been. She wasn't really sure anymore.

 _Most common mistake when transfiguring liquids?_

She nibbled her lip and moved on to the next question. Managing an E on the O. had taken what she thought was probably well over one hundred hours of revision and she still thought she had gotten lucky with her examiner. This year was proving to be filled with a lot more challenging spell work, and the fact that all their spells were supposed to be done nonverbally wasn't helping.

"If can't do this spell out loud, how do they expect me to do it in my head?" Eva grumbled to herself.

Albus looked up, a smudge of ink on his cheek, "I'm going to throttle you if you keep complaining about that. You're better at nonverbal spells than anyone in our year. I still can't accio anything without saying the incantation out loud, and you can _disarm_ people."

Eva groaned, "Transfiguration is an entirely different animal. I'm dreadful."

Rose snorted, "Aint that the truth."

Al arched his eyebrows, "I don't believe it. She got an E on her Transfiguration O.W.L. People who suck at Transfiguration don't get Es."

"Yeah, but you didn't see her try and turn her armadillo into a vase the other day. She made it grow and turn purple. It was the size of a small pony by the time Professor Howard figured out how to fix it. She's got a proper block."

Albus burst into laughter and Eva shot her friends a dirty look, "Well Rose's vase had a tail, so no one's perfect."

Rose laughed, "At least I didn't create an entirely new species."

Eva giggled despite herself and kicked her friend under the table.

"Look sharp." Al said, nudging Rose.

Eva didn't need to turn around to know what was causing the dreamy expression on Rose's now very attentive face.

"Hey, Rose," Luka said, taking a seat beside his girlfriend.

Eva and Al exchanged a look of exasperation as the happy couple greeted each other with a kiss.

"We're gonna go work on some Quidditch stuff," Rose chirped, giving Luka a suggestive look.

Al feigned innocence, "Don't forget to wear protective gear."

Eva burst into laughter, falling forward on the desk.

Rose narrowed her eyes, "I'm going to remember that next time Cassie swings by."

"We're just friends!" Al protested.

"Friends don't visit friends in dark broom cupboards," Rose snapped.

Al's face went red, "H-How do you know-"

"Charlotte saw you two, and she told me so that next time you teased me about Luka, I'd have a counter-spell," Rose grabbed her boyfriend's hand and marched off.

Eva gave Al a cheeky smile over her Transfiguration textbook, "Broom cupboards, eh?"

"Not all of us feel comfortable getting down on the Hogwarts lawn," Al growled, shooting Rose's back a dirty look.

"Are you two dating then?"

"Not officially."

"You're accosting her in broom cupboards but you haven't asked her out?"

"This isn't 1950 Eva, she could ask me out too."

"Yes but she won't."

Al groaned and rubbed his eyes, "I know. I keep meaning to ask her but I always chicken out. I come with a fair bit of baggage y'know. She'll get flack for seeing me."

Eva sighed, "Yeah, but she doesn't seem the type to let that get to her."

"You're probably right," Al smiled.

"So, did you ask her to go with you to Hogsmead tomorrow?"

"Yes, I did manage that much, thank you."

Eva rolled her eyes, "Al, if she is going on the very _public_ school trip with you then she'll be your girlfriend."

"I should ask her out tomorrow, shouldn't I?" Al laughed.

"Yes, obviously."

He pushed his homework aside, "You're still not coming?"

Eva shrugged, "No. Since the whole Dementor thing I've found that public outings aren't really the best for my mental health."

"I was right there when you saw it, Ev. It was just like the first time. You didn't imagine it."

"How else do we explain nothing happening? I literally made everyone learn how to cast a Patronus and nada. Nothing. I feel crazy, Al."

Her friend shrugged, "Well you can doubt yourself all you want. Personally, I'm glad I mastered the charm."

"Well, for everyone's sake I hope I was wrong."

Al nodded, beginning to pack his parchment and textbooks into his satchel, "I've got to get going to Potions now. Come down and say bye before Hogsmead tomorrow?"

Eva helped Al gather his belongings, "Sure thing. I'll see you tomorrow."

Once Al had left for Potions, Eva gathered up her stuff and moved to the cushioned window seat overlooking the stormy Hogwarts lawn. Yawning she pulled out her iPod and popped in the pink headphones. It had taken her and Flitwick over four weeks to successfully charm her iPod into functioning on Hogwarts grounds, but she had persevered, not wanting to spend another ten months completely deprived of music.

The library was almost deserted now, except for a few seventh year Hufflepuffs working quietly at a faraway table. Eva loved having the library to herself. The smell of parchment and leather combined with the silence made her feel like she had crawled away into Hogwarts' heart.

Eva turned on her favorite artist and opened up her History of Magic textbook, but quickly gave up on reading. She was absorbed in the music and the pattering of the storm engulfing the castle. She stretched her legs out and leaned back into the cushions. Her left shoulder pressed into the cold glass.

" _Just a young heart, confusing my mind,_

 _but we're both in silence,_

 _wide eyed, both in silence._

 _Wide eyed, like we're in a crime scene."_

Eva let her eyes drift closed, singing softly along without thinking, _"I only bring the heat, company under covers, filling space in your sheets."_

A dip in the cushions beside her made her open her eyes.

Scorpius had lifted his legs up and stretched them out as much as he could, so that his knees rested by her elbow and her feet were at his hips. They sat across from each other for a few minutes before Eva pulled out one of her headphones.

"You have a nice voice. Quiet, but sweet," Scorpius mused, ignoring her warming cheeks.

"Shouldn't you be in Potions?"

Scorpius shrugged, "Didn't feel like it today." He gestured to the unfamiliar technology, "What's that?"

Eva smiled, "It's an iPod. It's how muggles listen to music."

He reached out a hand and touched the smooth metal, "That shouldn't work here."

"I had Flitwick help me charm it. I missed music."

"Ah, I forgot that muggles are always walking around with noise in their ears."

"Music, not noise." She considered him for a moment before adding, "It's always something I found a little odd about this world, the lack of music I mean."

"We have music."

"Yes, but it's not like what muggle have. Your music, our music…" she trailed off, not sure of how to continue. "It's just different."

His smoky eyes examined her face for a moment, "Explain. I'm curious."

Eva nibbled the inside of her lip, "Well, with wizard music there is a lot of description… But it's lacking an element of feeling. There isn't the same soul." She considered the soft words still tricking in her ear through the remaining headphone, "Music is muggle magic." She smiled, "I will hear a song and suddenly realize that the artist is singing about something I've been feeling, but I didn't know how to describe it until they taught me. I have songs that feel like people I'm about to meet, and songs that seem to have been spun right out of people I already know. Songs for Rose, song's for Al.

 _Songs for James. Songs for my parents._

The song finished and a new one began.

"See, this one is you," Eva blurted out without thinking.

Scorpius arched his pale eyebrows and leaned forward, snatching the lose headphone and considering it for a moment before popping it into his ear.

"What are you doing?" Eva exclaimed, suddenly completely unsure of herself. She hadn't anticipated his interest in her music.

"Listening to this muggle magic that reminds you of me," Scorpius replied, settling back into the wall,

Eva thought about reaching forward and yanking the headphone out of his ear, but decided against it. After all, what did she care?

Scorpius closed his eyes and rested his head back into the stone. His head was tilted up slightly, so the skin stretched taught over his jawbone. He needed to shave.

" _Pick it up, pick it all up and start again.  
You've got a second chance, you could go home  
escape it all. It's just irrelevant.  
It's just medicine."_

Eva took a deep breath. It was true that the song always made her think of him, but she hadn't ever sat and listened to every single one of the words while contemplating what Scorpius would think of them. She felt like he was diving into her head and poking around.

 _This is going to be the longest four minutes and twelve seconds of my life._

Her stomach plunged a bit as the lyrics tumbled forth. The raw emotion capturing her as it had the first time she had heard it.

" _You could still be what you want to  
what you said you were  
when I met you."_

Eva shivered a little and watched him for any sort of clue for what he was thinking, but his face was impassive. With his closed eyes he could even be asleep.

 _At least it isn't some sort of love song. That would really give him the wrong idea._

Eva abruptly realized she could taste blood and stopped chewing the inside of her lip.

" _You've got a warm heart,  
you've got a beautiful brain,"_

She felt her heart lurch.

" _But it's disintegrating."_

She began to realize that she had never looked at him for this long without any sort of interruption. His hair wasn't really blonde like she had thought, it was almost white. Like sunlight hitting snow. With his white gold eyelashes and pale skin he belonged to a winter dawn. A light snow on candlelit windows.

" _You could still be  
what you want to be  
what you said you were,  
when you met me."_

His cheekbones had gotten sharper over the summer, jutting out over porcelain cheeks. His eyelashes fluttered, sending jagged shadows along his eyelids. Eva's eyes drifted down to collarbones peeking out between undone buttons. He had a little bit of hair on his chest, but it was as light as everything else. Just a bright shadow, not really there unless the light hit it. She swallowed, a little disturbed by how unabashedly her eyes skimmed over him when he wasn't looking at her. She was suddenly very aware of his leg pressed against the side of her body.

" _You could still be  
what you want to  
what you said you were,  
when I met you.  
When you met me.  
When I met you."_

His eyes opened and Eva jumped.

She hadn't even realized that the song had ended.

Eva struggled to compose her face, painfully aware of how uncomfortable she suddenly felt under his hale-storm gaze. She hadn't fully appreciated the rawness of the song until this very moment. It had always just been him, she hadn't thought about why, and she certainly hadn't mean to tell him. Her skin felt uncomfortably tight.

He pulled the headphone out of his ear and it swung back into her chest with a small _thunk._

 _Why isn't he saying anything?_

Eva could feel her heart beginning to pound, "You know, I didn't really expect you to take me so literally. It's not…" She tugged her hair anxiously, unsure how to explain herself, or even if she could. The song was about watching someone lose themselves, which was why she supposed it reminded her of him. What she hadn't realized, was how much the singer was longing for the person to be who they had been. She opened her mouth, not sure of what she was going to say, but sure the silence needed to end.

 _I miss him more than I thought._

Scorpius reached out and placed his index finger lightly on her lips to stop the flow of tumbling words. His touch was so cool she was surprised her lips didn't burn him. He looked a little bit sad.

"I think the point you were trying to get across earlier was that this music feels in the same way we do. Trying to explain seems like a good way to take away the magic."

She suppressed the urge to take his finger between her lips and kiss it.

 _Oh lord._

She swallowed and pulled her head back enough that his finger fell away.

 _What is wrong with me?_

She looked down and fiddled with her headphones. She desperately wanted to say something, but she had no idea what or why. She could feel him getting ready to leave, he always did after a few minutes, and for some unfathomable reason she wanted to stop him. To keep him with her, tucked away in this little nook.

"I'll leave you to your studying," Scorpius said, gracefully removing himself from the window seat and picking his bag up off the floor.

Eva nodded, and watched him walk away, not bothering to say good-bye. She could see the outlines of his shoulder blades through the back of his shirt. She had never noticed that before either.

* * *

"The library closed hours ago!"

Eva startled awake to a bony hand gripping her shoulder tightly. The librarian was looking down at her with a tight-lipped grimace.

"What are you doing hiding away back here? Get up and get out!"

Eva struggled to her feet, grabbing her things and hurrying to get away from Madame Pince, who seemed to be seconds away from shrieking at her again.

"Sorry, sorry, fell asleep." Eva said hurriedly, dashing out of the library.

The doors slammed shut with a defensive click behind her, as if the books resented Eva for intruding on them and Madame Pince for so long.

Eva let out a small huff and heaved her bag over her shoulder. Judging by the low light in the corridors, it was past nine o'clock.

 _Rose must be going wild wondering where I am._

Eva hurried up a flight of stairs that took her on a more round-about route to the Gryffindor common room. If it was indeed after nine then she could get in trouble for wandering the halls. She was almost half way between the portrait hole and the library when she heard the sound of glass smashing.

Eva stopped and turned around, looking for the source of the noise.

 _Girl's bathroom._

Eva tucked her robes a little tighter around her and poked her head into the lavatory.

Hands hit her from behind, throwing her onto the bathroom floor, her quills and books flying out of her bag and landing on the damp tiles.

"Oooo, look what I found!" Victoria Carrow squealed.

" _Expelliarmus!"_

Eva felt her wand fly out of her pocket and heard it land somewhere on the floor. She couldn't get up and look because a foot was planted firmly between her shoulder blades.

"What are you doing out late at night, little mudblood?" Marie Zabini purred.

The foot on her back disappeared, and Eva rolled over, pulling herself into a shaky crouch.

Marie was sitting on the bathroom counter, a bottle of elf-made wine in her hands. Another bottle lay smashed on the floor. The two Slytherins were clearly quite drunk.

 _Fuck._

Eva didn't say anything, she knew that absolutely nothing was going to help her out of this situation other than her wand.

 _Fuck. Fuck._

"I was talking to you, mudblood," Marie snarled, her lips and teeth stained from the wine.

"Answer her!" Victoria cackled, " _Crucio!"_

Blinding, bone-melting pain shot through every nerve in her body. She screamed.

"You idiot!" Marie hissed at Victoria.

The pain stopped.

"You want teachers in here?"

" _Silenceo!"_ Marie waved her wand.

Eva heaved breath back into her lungs, praying that someone had heard her scream before the silencing charm took effect. She had bit her tongue and blood was filling her mouth at an alarming rate. She looked around frantically for her wand, and spotted it on the floor near Marie's boot. There was no way she was going to get to it without Marie noticing.

"Do you know what we are going to do to you? The time of muggles and mudbloods is ending, you disgusting stain. _He_ is going to fix everything, and we are going to help him. You're just the first one on our list," Marie snarled.

The sound of footsteps made the three girls look towards the entrance.

The bathroom door slid open, and Scorpius Malfoy stepped through. His eyes drifted slowly between Marie and Victoria, and then finally to the floor where Eva crouched.

Eva spat out a mouthful of blood and willed herself to meet Scorpius' eyes without looking desperate. She struggled to her feet, her muscles still shaky from the effects of the curse.

 _Scorpius…_

"Scorpius darling, you've joined our party. We found this little mudblood wandering the halls and decided to invite her to join us," Marie slurred.

"How did you find us?" Victoria asked, clearly a little irritated that she no longer had her friend to herself.

"I heard her scream," Scorpius answered, his voice completely level, "And if I heard her, then there is a good chance someone else did too."

 _Right, the Prefects will be doing their rounds now. Come on, Rose._

Eva began to inch over to her wand.

"Oh no you don't!" hissed Marie, _"Impedimenta!"_

Eva flew back into the sink, her hip colliding painfully with the hard edge. She could feel blood running down her side, and she suspected that some of her ribs were broken.

" _Crucio!"_

Eva shrieked and slammed into the floor, her muscles writhing under her skin for a few moments before the pain receded.

Marie was clearly not a veteran with unforgivable curses, and the spell only lasted for a few seconds before dying back down.

Eva looked up, not bothering with Marie and Victoria, but going directly to Scorpius' cool gaze.

The corners of his mouth held a tightness that she knew meant he was struggling with his decision not to help her, but his inaction lit a furious fire inside her that she had never felt the equal to. The betrayal hurt, and her fury at trusting him overwhelmed all the pain in her body.

 _You piece of shit._

"Go. To. Hell," she snarled, locking eyes with Scorpius.

"What did you just say to my boyfriend, you little m-" Marie began.

All the mirrors in the bathroom shattered, sending jagged blades of glass flying through the air. The pipes burst and water streamed out of the broken sinks, washing her wand towards her.

Marie and Victoria both screamed.

Eva could feel her magic whirling around the room, ripping apart everything it touched, like it had in the hospital the day she found out her father died. She lurched to her feet and snatched her wand out of the running water.

 _Expelliarmus_

Marie and Victoria's wands flew into her open hand, and Eva chucked them across the room, not caring where they ended up. She whirled on Scorpius, stalking towards him and slamming her hands into his chest, knocking him backwards into the wall. Her anger was a raging fire inside of her chest, desperate to drown him in the inferno.

Her hands left bloody prints on his crisp white shirt.

"Don't you ever speak to me again, do you fucking hear me, Malfoy? You are dead to me."

* * *

O

* * *

Rose stood beside Albus in the hospital wing, looking down at Eva. Their friend was getting Madame Pomfrey to explain to her how bone-mending worked, and was now healing her own ribs. The sight made Rose's stomach heave.

Headmistress McGonagall looked at Rose, "Did she tell you who did this?"

 _Yes._

"No, headmistress, she really doesn't remember. I think it must be the shock."

McGonagall nodded, "Very well, but if she does remember, come straight to me." She looked at Eva's bloody side, "The pupils responsible for this will be expelled."

Rose nodded and took a seat on the bed opposite Eva's, watching as her friend learned how to stitch her skin back together. At first she hadn't understood why Eva insisted on keeping the identities of her attackers a secret, but now she agreed. If Marie really did have a connection to the new Death Eaters, then they needed to keep her close, and they couldn't keep an eye on her if she was expelled.

 _We are going to get to the bottom of this._

"I would like Miss. O'Connor to stay the night in the Hospital Wing," Madam Pomfrey said to the headmistress, "Since she doesn't remember the curses used on her, I don't want to risk it having been anything with nasty after affects."

"Can we stay with her?" Albus asked.

Madame Pomfrey smiled, "No, I am afraid not. She needs her rest, and I assure you she will be quite safe. I'm just in the next room."

Al scuffed his foot and nodded, "Okay."

McGonagall looked at her and Al, "It's almost midnight, I am going to escort the two of you back to your respective dormitories. Say goodnight to Miss O'Connor."

Rose hopped off the bed and went over to her friend, who was admiring her newly mended skin. Rose tucked Eva's short blonde hair behind her ear, "Stay out of trouble, okay?"

Eva smiled, "Don't worry, Rose. I'm fine. Really."

Albus leaned down and kissed Eva's forehead, whispering so only his friends could hear, "We're going to get them, Ev. We're going to figure out what is going on."

Eva grabbed Al's wrist, "You leave it tonight, okay? Promise me?"

Al gritted his teeth, "You can't expect me to look at the two of them and not try and kill them."

Rose saw Eva's fingers tighten.

"I mean it, Al. You bloody promise me. We deal with this together. I can't spend all night worrying about what's happening in the dungeons."

Al gave her a reluctant nod, "Fine."

Rose gave her Eva a gentle hug and followed Al and McGonagall out of the hospital wing. By the time she reached the portrait hole she wanted nothing more than to march down to the Slytherin common room with Al and raise hell.

She murmured the password and climbed into the Gryffindor common room.

James, Lily and, to her surprise, Luka were all sitting up waiting for her.

"How did you get in here?" Rose asked her Ravenclaw boyfriend, leaning into his arms.

"James saw me waiting outside and let me in. I wanted to see if Eva was okay."

Rose gave her older cousin a grateful smile and kissed her boyfriend's cheek, "Thanks, James."

"How's Eva?" Lily asked, anxiety clearly painted across her small face.

Rose collapsed into an armchair with Luka, grateful for his warmth, "She's fine. Getting Pomfrey to teacher her how to mend her own wounds, actually."

James smiled, "That's our girl. She'll be a Healer after all, you'll see."

"I don't understand," Luka growled, "who the hell would attack Eva?"

Rose looked away.

"You know who did it," James said, not sounding surprised.

Rose glanced at Lily, "Maybe you should go to bed."

A look of rage that was very akin to her mother's spread across her face, "What?! Why would I go to bed? I love Eva too, you know." She crossed her freckled arms over her chest.

James rolled his eyes, "Lils, get out of here. I only let you stay up so you could hear from Rose that Ev was okay."

Lily looked furious, but the thirteen year old flew to her feet and stormed up the staircase into the girl's dormitory.

Luka winced, "I'd watch your back if I were you, James."

James shrugged, "I'll get itching powder somewhere soon, but that should be the end of it. She's too young for this dark stuff." He looked at Rose, "So are you and Ev, but I guess there's not much I can do about that."

Rose ignored James. He meant well, but he looked at her, Al and Eva like they were twelve instead of almost seventeen. "It was Marie Zabini and Victoria Carrow. They were drinking in the bathroom, and by the sounds of it were pretty drunk by the time Eva stumbled in on them."

James hissed and clenched his fists, "Why didn't she report them? I'm sure McGonagall would have them expelled."

"Because Marie mentioned someone who could be the new leader of the Death Eaters."

James sat bold upright, "Who?"

"Marie didn't give a name."

James groaned and leaned back into the armchair.

"But the point is, she could know who it is. Which means we need to keep her around."

Luka shifted uncomfortably, "Shouldn't you just tell McGonagall?"

Roes supressed a flicker of irritation at her boyfriend, "No, because there is nothing McGonagall could do. She couldn't force them to tell her anything, and she'd have to expel them in the end."

James nodded, "It's true. If we can keep an eye on them here, then maybe we can get more of a clue of what is going on. If she is really in touch with the Death Eaters then we can't afford to lose her as a lead. The Auror office barley knows of anyone who is for sure involved, and anyone taken into custody dies before they tell us who is leading the group."

"What?" Rose asked, shocked.

"Yeah, some sort of spell. Your mum thinks it's an Unbreakable Vow to keep the leader's name a secret."

* * *

O

* * *

Eva woke to the feeling of someone sitting on the bed beside her. The visitor was tucking her hair behind her ear with gentle fingertips.

 _Rose._

Eva let herself linger in the comfort for a few minutes, the careful strokes lulling her back towards sleep. Squirming a little, Eva struggled to open her eyes.

She could just make out the slope of broad shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

Eva felt her insides writhe, "Get out."

"Eva, please, just listen to me," Scorpius whispered, his voice tight.

"No, get out," she was shocked to hear her voice was constricted with tears.

She couldn't see his face, but a shuddering breath made her think he was either crying, or very close to it.

 _He never cries._

"Ev," he was almost pleading now.

"There is nothing you can say to me Scorpius. You let me bleed out onto the bathroom floor while your girlfriend tortured me," she wiggled her body away from him so that she could no longer feel the pressure of hip against her leg.

"Please, there is more going on than…" he trailed off. "It's not what it seems."

She hated herself for giving him another chance, "Tell me how it is then."

She heard him groan softly, "I can't."

Rage bubbled up in her chest, "You know, I didn't tell Al and Rose you were there because I couldn't bare the looks on their face. The lack of surprise. Just thinking about how I let you deceive me… It makes me sick. You make me sick."

"Eva," he breathed.

"Get out, Scorpius. I can't stand to even hear your voice. I was the only fucking person left who thought you were half decent, and you watched her _torture_ me," she was crying now.

"Ev," he touched her cheek.

Eva slapped his hand away, "Just get out! Get the fuck out!

She heard him lurch unsteadily to his feet.

 _Where has all your grace gone?_

Once the sound of his footsteps faded, Eva curled up into a tight ball under the thin hospital sheets and smothered her sobs into the pillow.


	13. Chapter 13 Guardians

_Apologies for the super late update… Exams were really kicking my ass and all I had time for was brewing coffee and studying (ew). Now that I am finally free updates will be more frequent and hopefully better quality_ _Shout out to Tinlawia for following *hugs and offers sodapop/wine/beer/rum/gin/vodka/preferred beverage*_

 _Holy smokes! HUGE MASSIVE GINORMOUS thanks to MandyinKC and HPDWTWD for solid reviewing (and following).  
Mandy: I usually write poetry, so I am glad my tendency to be descriptive has worked in the story's favour. I was a little worried the sentences would be bogged down by it, so I'm absolutely ecstatic to hear it fits in. As for dialogue… Man, talking is sure easy, but writing it…not so much. I'm hoping the learning curve is quick, so let me know if there is any improvement or if, Merlin forbid, it gets worse. One million thanks for your help!  
HPDWTWD: *cheers* I am so glad you were hooked enough to read this at quarter to four in the morning :O I will absolutely finish this story, as it is pretty much all written in my head already. Only catch is the characters are taking on a bit of a life of their own, so things aren't following along exactly as planned. *Cue ominous music* Spelling. Grammar. My arch nemeses. The thing about poetry is you can pretty much say "fuck it" and call it style. Alas, the same is not true for stories. I am doing my best to read things over and catch errors before I publish… If you notice a trend (something I am continually spelling wrong, or screwing up grammatically every time) please let me know! There's also a small chance the technical errors will improve now that I have finished finals (less time spent crying = more time to edit)._

 _Hope this next chapter is good! It's a bit longer than usual_ _Please feel free to shoot me a review and let me know what you would like to see in this story! I have a plan, but I am enthusiastically interested in what you guys would like to see._

* * *

 **Ch 13. Guardians**

Eva woke with the kind of hangover-esque feeling that only came from crying all night. Her eyes felt like they were crusted with putty, and her ribs ached from where they had collided with the sink. She pulled herself to a groggy seat and peered out at the post-dawn sky. It was already raining.

 _Fabulous._

She rubbed her fingers through her dirty hair and reached down beside the creaky hospital bed for her clothes, pulling them on with sleep-heavy arms. The only thing she wanted to do was crawl into Gryffindor tower and fall asleep before she inevitably ran into Scorpius. Somehow, the prospect of seeing him was one hundred times worse than that of seeing Marie or Victoria. They hadn't really hurt her. They had tried, but she had experienced enough hurt to understand what true devastation was, and her pride was more wounded than anything else. On the other hand, what Scorpius had done cut her somewhere deep and hidden. Somewhere she hadn't known he could reach. She had trusted him, and he had hurt her. Worse, the few tender moments they had shared over the last few weeks had done something to alter how she felt about him… She wasn't exactly sure what had changed, but just as she had been starting to figure it out, he had betrayed her.

 _But he came here last night._

She sat back down on the bed and put her head in her hands. What had he expected her to say? That it was all okay? That she forgave him? A blurry shadow of a dream clawed at her consciousness, and Eva blushed furiously when it surfaced.

 _If I am dreaming about him, it shouldn't be like that._

Eva shook her head to clear the whispers of her dream. She didn't want to remember anything but her fury with him.

 _Why is it so hard to hate him?_

Sometime over the past few months Scorpius had slipped inside her brain and lodged himself where she couldn't rip him free. Each time she tried to push him out of her mind, she could feel the tendrils he had left behind tightening.

Sighing, she slipped her feet into her flats and made her way to Madam Pomfrey's quarters. She didn't want to be in the hospital wing any longer.

"Madam Pomfrey?"

The grey-haired witch appeared with arms full of potions and other ointments, "Good morning, Miss. O'Connor. You're up early."

"Yes, ma'am. I'd like to go back to my dorm, if that's okay?"

Madam Pomfrey considered her for a moment, "Yes, alright dear. But before you go, I have to ask… Do you remember what happened last night? Who attacked you?"

"No ma'am," Eva lied.

The kindly Healer nodded, "Alright."

Eva turned to go.

"Miss. O'Connor?"

"Yes?"

The woman hesitated, "I know I'm not a teacher, so this is really none of my business, but I had heard you were considering becoming a Healer."

Eva shuffled her feet, "Well… I had been."

Madame Pomfrey nodded and set her bundle of supplies on a nearby table before gesturing for Eva to take a seat beside her, "I would be happy give you a reference for a summer internship at Saint. Mungo's. They don't usually take volunteers before graduation, but you picked up those healing spells last night with remarkable ease and I have every confidence that you would make a gifted Healer. I'd like to help you, if that's what you want."

Eva took a seat beside the older witch but hesitated before responding. Her childhood dream of becoming a Healer had been centered on finding a cure to save her mother, but she had died before Eva's sixteenth birthday. When her father joined her mother in death, she had entirely given up on healing. There hadn't seemed to be much point in her dream outliving the people she had most wanted to save.

 _But am I really a warrior?_

Eva subconsciously dug her fingernails into the soft flesh of her palm as the images from the night before flashed through her mind. Even with what Marie and Victoria had done to her, she had never even considered hurting them in return. She tried to imagine throwing Marie into the sink or using the Cruciatus curse, but she couldn't. She could defend, but she couldn't attack.

 _Hell, I can't even hate Scorpius properly._

Dueling had never given her the feeling of power than she knew Albus and Rose experienced. While her friends felt the high of winning, Eva simply felt relived and exhausted. Fighting was duty, not pleasure.

 _If a war is coming, there are going to need to be people who can do more than tear each other apart._

Eva waved bye to her friends and made her way back up the staircase. Rose and Al had both insisted that they wanted to stay behind with her, but Eva had begged them to go. She had thought about going to Hogsmeade, but considering she was only going because she didn't have family to visit, she didn't really feel like it. Especially since she had spent the night lying awake trying to understand how she and Scorpius had ended up on opposite sides of a brewing war.

 _I thought I knew him._

Eva stopped at the top of the staircase and watched the trickle of student's making their way towards the village, mostly in pairs, and supressed a little stab of loneliness. It wasn't that she minded being single for the most part, but it was a bit lonely sometimes.

 _Last night's dream wasn't lonely._

Eva winced at the memory of her dream. She couldn't have slept for more than forty-five minutes, but she was quite sure it had been forty-five minutes of her kissing Scorpius' pearly white collar bones.

 _But that didn't mean anything. It has always been James._

She shook her head, willing both Scorpius and James out of her mind. Her whole body ached, and she suppressed a yawn as the portrait of the Fat Lady came into sight. She desperately wanted a nap and a shower.

"G'morning, Ev."

Eva jumped a little. She had been so lost in her exhaustion that she hadn't noticed James standing beside the entrance to the common room. He was leaning against the stone wall with his usual playful grin. He really did look an awful lot like his uncle George, especially with his new beard.

Eva stood on her tiptoes to give him a hug. He really wasn't very tall, but she was short enough that if she wanted to put her arms anywhere but around his middle she had to give herself some added height.

"Morning, James."

"You look awful, Ev. Sort of like you spent last night getting beat up in the loo."

Eva sighed, "Can't argue that."

James fell in beside her and the two of them walked the remaining steps towards the entrance to the common room. The last few months had wrought quite a change in him. He looked older, more like the Auror he was becoming and less like the boy she had met on the train. He had more muscle on his upper body, and adulthood had broadened his chest and shoulders. There was a sternness that hadn't been there before, and she supposed some people might even find him intimidating.

They stopped outside the portrait.

"Rose filled us in on who it was," James' eyes flickered with anger.

Eva winced at the growl in his voice, "And you're not telling?"

James shrugged, "No. You guys are right, we can keep a better eye on them if they're here." He glanced around, "Most of the Slytherin's have gone to Hogsmeade, so I'm going to nip in their common room for a bit and take a look around."

"How are you going to get in there?" Eva asked.

James smirked and his mood lightened, "You do remember I'm not a student, right? I have passwords to all the common rooms." He winked, "I can even get up the stairway to the girls' dormitory. Makes it easier to visit Crystal."

Eva's stomach lurch a little bit as she imagined what exactly "visiting Crystal" entailed, but she was getting so used to suppressing the jealous surge that came up whenever he mentioned his girlfriend that she hardly felt it anymore.

"I suppose me being your backup would look even more suspicious, right?" Eva asked.

James nodded, "It would. Plus, you've been in enough trouble already."

"Will you let me know if you find anything?"

"You'll be the first. Now go get some sleep, Ev."

* * *

O

* * *

Rose giggled as Luka hauled her through the upstairs hallway of the Dragon's Roost. They had only been in Hogsmeade for a few minutes, but Luka clearly had something planned.

"We shouldn't be up here," Rose whispered, clinging tightly to Luka's hand as he guided her through the unfamiliar Inn.

Luka whirled around and pulled her into his chest, pushing her against the wall. They were almost the same height so he didn't have to bend much for their mouths to meet. "We should definitely be here," he murmured into her lips.

Rose sighed and pressed against him, running her hands along the muscles of his chest, feeling for his nipples through the fabric of his shirt. His tongue teased her bottom lip until she gave in and opened her mouth.

Luka pushed her up against the wall and slid his hands under her shirt, cupping his hands over her bra-covered breasts. His tongue flicked urgently against her teeth and Rose could feel him growing hard against her leg.

She felt a twinge below her belly-button, like something was inflating inside her. She rubbed against his erection, unable to stop herself.

"Luka," she whispered, "someone could come up here any minute."

He laughed a little breathlessly, "I know, you distracted me from my mission." He pulled away from the wall and along the hallway until they reached room twelve.

" _Alohamora,"_ he whispered, pointing his wand at the door.

The door clicked and swung open, revealing a cozy little room taken up almost entirely by a bed.

Rose looked at him in surprise, "Someone could come home."

He grinned at her and pulled her into the room, locking the door behind them, "No one will. My cousin works here, and this room is currently unoccupied." He pulled her down on the bed so that she was straddling him.

 _Holy Merlin. Okay._

She looked down into his blue eyes, "Okay."

He cocked his head at her, "Okay?"

She nodded and leaned down, pressing her lips to his.

 _This is why you've been taking the anti-contraceptive potion every month._

He responded instantly, grabbing her face with his hands and kissing passionately.

Rose felt the bubble behind her navel building and spreading down between her thighs, "I want you. All of you," she murmured shakily, pressing herself against the hardness in his trousers.

Luka let out a moan, his hips twitching up into her, "You're sure?"

Rose nodded and reached her hands down to the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head and letting it drop onto the floor. Taking a sharp breath she unfastened her bra and let it join her shirt on the floor. She watched his eyes grow wide as he took in her heavy breasts.

"Merlin," he breathed, reached up and filling his hands with her soft skin.

Rose let out a whimper of pleasure at the heat rippling between her breasts and down between her legs. Her nervousness was burning away, and her clit was beginning to ache. She rubbed against him a little more aggressively until Luke rolled her over, pulling her beneath him and pressing his thigh between her legs. An electric current shot up her spine. She tugged off his shirt off before reaching down to his trousers, unbuckling them and reaching through the folds of cotton to find his soft skin. His erection twitched in her hand.

Luka moaned and leaned back, undoing her jeans faster than she had thought possible and yanking them down her legs.

"Yours too," she breathed.

He pulled off his trousers and boxers in one movement.

Rose bit her lip as Luka's cock sprang forward. He leaned down on top of her, his arms on either side of her head. She could feel his tip pressing against her folds. Taking a shuddering breath she wrapped her legs around him and shifted her hips, making herself as ready as she knew how.

Luka froze, "Wait, before we…" he cleared his throat, his voice horse, "Before we do it, I want you to know that I, um, I…" his face flushed.

Rose pulled him in for a kiss before whispering, "I love you too, Luka."

His eyes widened in surprise and gratitude, "You do?"

Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes, "Yes, I do. And I'm ready. I want it to be you."

Luka nodded, "I know it's your first time, so I'm going to go slow. If it hurts, or if you want me to stop, just tell me and I will."

Rose nodded, easing herself backwards into the bed. She tried to relax, remembering Charlotte telling her it was better that way. Luke took a deep breath and reached down between them, rubbing his fingers along her opening. She could feel how wet she was by how easily his fingers slid between her folds.

"You feel ready," he whispered.

Rose nodded and nipped his neck, "I want to feel you inside."

Luka let out a shaky breath and took his fingers way from her so that he could grasp his shaft.

She gasped as he pressed himself into her, pushing her apart.

"Are you okay?" He breathed, sounding like he was barely holding back.

Rose nodded and pulled him down for a kiss, "Keep going."

She whimpered as a sharp pain twinged inside her, but she tightened her legs around him so he would know not to back out. It hurt, but she had expected that.

Luka moaned and slid all the way inside her until she could feel his hipbones pressed against the inside of her thighs. His eyes flickered closed and he could hear his breathing becoming more ragged.

Rose shivered as her body slowly accommodated to him, and sweetness behind her naval grew.

"Merlin, Rose. You feel so good," he moaned again, slowly sliding in and out of her.

Rose buried her lips against his neck and nibbled his ear, trembling as he pressed into her firmly. She dug her nails into the skin on his back as they slowly found their rhythm. Her breath quickening as the knot of pleasure began to swell inside of her.

"Luka," she moaned, arching her hips up into him with a confidence she didn't know she had.

"Slow down, Rose. I'm going to lose it."

Rose felt the tension inside her flare up at his words. She tightened her legs around him and pulled him towards her sharply.

Luka groaned and bucked into her fiercely, clearly unable to hold back any longer.

She responded by nipping at his ear and running her tongue along his throat. She could feel him unravelling in her arms. He pumped into her rapidly until his body tensed and she could feel him spasm inside her.

He rested his head in the crook of her neck and groaned, "I'm sorry."

Surprised, she nuzzled him until he looked at her, "What for?"

He blushed, "I came too soon. You didn't," he bit his lip sheepishly, "you didn't finish."

Rose laughed, "That's all? Luka, not many virgins have orgasms the first time they have sex." She kissed him firmly on the lips, "That was perfect, and we have plenty of time to practice."

* * *

O

* * *

Eva tossed and turned in her blankets, pulling them around her and then pushing them off again. She was exhausted, but every time she got close to sleep she was startled into alertness by a feeling of panic bubbling in her chest. She knew something was wrong, but she didn't know what.

Friend eyed her warily from his spot on the windowsill. He had given up on trying to snuggle with her.

Finally abandoning her attempts at sleep, Eva crawled out of bed and made her way to the shower. She turned on the water, stripped off her pajamas and climbed into the narrow stall, leaning her head against the cold tiles as the warm water ran down her back.

 _More than a dozen Dementors were gliding through the rain towards the narrow streets and muddy alleys of Hogsmeade. Their rattling breath sending terrified birds streaming into the sky._

Eva choked on the panic rising up from her chest. Her heart felt like it was crushing her lungs. She grasped desperately for the door of the shower and burst out into the bathroom, not even bothering to turn off the water.

 _They're here._

Her wet feet slid on the tiles as she scrambled to grab her wand and pull on the nearest pair of clothes. She tugged baggy jeans over her wet legs and an old t-shirt over her bare chest before sprinting to the door and down the staircase.

 _Have to warn them._

She careened out into the empty hallway, her bare feet slapping along the stone corridor as she sprinted towards the headmistress' office.

She arrived outside the stone gargoyle, looking up at it with wild desperation, "Let me in!"

She pounded on its stone chest with her fists.

"Eva?"

Eva whirled around to see Scorpius standing only a few feet away with textbooks tucked under his arm. He was wearing old slacks and a crumbled dress shirt, his green and silver tie lose around his neck.

She didn't have time to be angry with him, "What's the password? I need to see McGonagall."

She was completely oblivious of his eyes skimming over her, taking in her bare feet, soaking wet hair and muggle clothes. Her lose t-shirt clung to her chest.

"Scorpius!" Eva shouted, "Do you know the fucking password or not?"

The blonde wizard shook his head, "No." His grey eyes flickered away from her and around the empty hallways, "She could be in the staffroom, but I'm not sure. Most of the teachers have gone to Hogsmeade with the other students."

Eva practically howled in frustration and slammed her shoulder into the statue guardian, "Let me in!"

Scorpius dropped his book bag and pulled her way from the door.

"Eva, look at me."

She felt hands grasp her shoulders and she looked up into his eyes. They were the same colour as the granite cobblestones behind him.

"Tell me what is going on."

His voice was calm, and she was caught for a moment by the look of unveiled concern in his eyes. The water droplets from her shower dripped steadily from her hair onto his warm hands and her scarred collarbones.

"Ev."

"Dementors. They're in Hogsmeade. Or they're going to be," she looked at him for a hint that he doubted her claim, but there was none.

Scorpius turned to the nearest portrait, "Please find the headmistress and tell her that there are going to be demeanors in Hogsmeade, and that she needs to get there as soon as possible."

* * *

O

* * *

Rose kissed Luka passionately on their way down the stairs. She was a bit sore between her legs, but it was a pleasant reminder of what she had just experienced.

 _I just lost my virginity._

"I love you," Luka murmured through their kiss.

"I love you too," Rose purred for what must have been the tenth time, pulling back and admiring his face.

A scream startled them both.

"What?" Luka began, before more screams began to explode all around them, almost like a sudden storm was trying to tear down the building.

Rose grabbed her wand and finished pulling them down the stairs and towards the chaos.

The Dragon's Roost was in the throes of panic, with the majority of people diving away from the windows and to the floor, or running past Rose and Luka to the upper floors. It was impossible to tell what was going on through all the screaming and racing bodies.

Rose's eyes searched desperately for a window, needing to know what was causing the panic around her.

Nine or ten Dementors glided through the streets, bearing down on students and Hogsmeade residents alike. Rose could make out one or two people struggling to cast a Patronus, but no one had managed. A shopkeeper stumbled under the Dementor, and Rose watched in horror as a pearly vapour rose out of the man's open mouth and into what she could only assume was the Dementor's mouth.

 _It's happening. They're here._

Rose lunged towards the door, tearing her hand out of Luka's, "We have to help!"

Luka looked terrified, "No, Rose! Stay here!"

Rose paused for a moment, turning around to look into Luka's wide blue eyes. She gave him a small smile, trying to reassure him, "Just stay here, okay?"

Luke tried to grab for her hand, "You stay too, Rose. It isn't safe."

Rose shook her head, dodging his hand and pushing her way through people.

Wrenching the door open, she stumbled into the street, her wand drawn and ready. The chaos and despair whirled around her like a tornado. She wished for a split second that Luka would run after her, but she knew he wouldn't.

" _Expecto Patronum!"_ she shouted.

 _Her mother and father tickling her on the floor of the kitchen. Grandma and Grandpa Weasley exchanging a kiss in their gnome infested garden. Teaching Hugo to ride a broomstick. Eva and Albus dancing at the Christmas Ball._

The silvery lioness erupted from her wand, racing towards the nearest Dementor and driving it away from a group of terrified third years.

"Get inside!" She roared at the younger students

They ran.

Rose whirled around, surveying the chaos and quickly coming to the conclusion that she wasn't going to be enough. There were far more Dementors than she had first assumed, their number closer to thirty than ten. Her eyes fell the man she had seen fall underneath a Dementor. He was flat on his back in the mud, his feet twitching feebly. A terrified scream alerted her to a two small girls, one hugging the other as the Dementor advanced on them.

Rose could feel a chill settling on her heart.

 _Don't you dare give up, Rose Weasley. Don't you bloody dare._

She directed her lioness to the two little girls. She didn't have time to see if they were getting to safety. The Dementors had noticed that she was the only barrier between them and their long awaited meal.

Rose stumbled backwards as three Dementors approached her, her lioness not able to reach her fast enough. Her breath emptied out of her lungs she fell onto the muddy street, her head smacking into the cobblestones with a wet smack. She stared up at the sky, her vision flickering in time with the pulse of her heart. She could just make out a cloaked head looming over her, its rattling breath drawing all the heat from her flesh. She thought she heard someone scream.

 _This shouldn't be a way to die._

* * *

O

* * *

Eva's hands connected with the oak front doors painfully as she slammed her way out of the castle and into the pouring rain. The residents of the portrait had assured her that they would find the headmistress and pass on Scorpius' message, but she wasn't going to wait around for McGonagall to find out and then decide whether or not Eva was worth listening to. She knew that they were running out of time, and all she could think about was that Rose and Albus were somewhere in the village.

"Eva!"

Eva whirled around to see Scorpius running down the front steps after her. The rain was already soaking through his white shirt, making it stick to him like shedding snakeskin. She could see his long black wand gripped tightly in his left hand.

"Go back inside!" she yelled over the hammering rain.

"You don't even have shoes on!" He shouted, barely a few inches away from her now.

Rain drops ran down his proud nose and over his pale, rose petal lips. She could see their breath mingling in the air between them.

Eva couldn't feel her feet anymore, the cold was so intense. She turned back around without saying anything and began jogging down the hill towards the front gates, her bare feet sliding on the muddy path. Albus and Rose didn't have time for her to argue with Scorpius and his unwanted concern.

"Eva!"

He felt her body jerk backwards as his hands gripped her arms, pulling her to a stop.

She spun around to face him, "Don't you understand? They could die! I know you don't give a shit about anyone but yourself, but I am not going to sit here and wait for someone else to tell me what happened to them!" She could feel her voice getting higher and higher as the fear settled in, "I won't lose them!"

Scorpius looked like he wanted to yell at her for a moment, but then nodded stiffly, "Fine. Go."

She made to run away, but the grip on her arms hadn't loosened.

"But I am coming with you." His sea storm eyes narrowed, "Now put some bloody shoes on."

Eva blinked for a moment, seriously considering cursing him, before deciding that he was right. She wouldn't get far on bare feet. She snatched her wand from her pocket and pointed at the castle.

 _Accio shoes._

Her trainers broke through the window of the girls' dormitory and soared towards her. Eva tugged them on her feet, not caring as the polyester scrapped against her wet skin.

"It is going to take too long to get there, even if we run," Scorpius said, looking around.

 _He's right. It will take us over half an hour, especially in this weather._

"Well we can't fly!" Eva shouted, not knowing what else to do, "There are wards against brooms leaving the school grounds."

As soon has she had finished speaking she had an idea. It was mad, but it was the only way she could think of getting to Hogsmeade without access to Brooms, Floo or Disapparation.

"We could drive."

Scorpius' brow furrowed in confusion. Both of them were blinking furiously to keep the rain out of their eyes, and Eva could see the goose bumps forming on his pale skin.

Eva looked around, "Can you transfigure something here into an automobile?"

Scorpius stared at her, "I can't transfigure something if I don't know what it is. I've never even been inside one."

 _And I'm not good enough at transfiguration to do something so complicated._

Eva groaned, "Fuck!"

Scorpius pursed his lips, "But you can show me."

"What?"

Scorpius leveled his wand at her, "I can use _Legilimens_."

Eva didn't hesitate, "Do it."

She didn't care if Scorpius ran around her head and ripped open every one of her secrets. She needed to get to the village, and she didn't care what he did as long as she got there.

Scorpius looked surprised, but gave her a small, firm nod.

 _Eva was nine and bouncing up and down in the dirty back seat, watching her father shift gears as he sang along to the radio. Her mother was laughing._

 _Flash._

 _She was learning how to drive in the supermall parking lot._

 _Flash._

 _She was fifteen and standing in the back of a pickup truck with her muggle boyfriend. Both of them clinging to the cab and screaming raunchy song lyrics into the wind as the driver accelerated. Her long blonde hair was whipping out behind her like ribbons as she laughed uncontrollably, her eyes streaming from the wind._

* * *

O

* * *

Rose blinked groggily as the cloaked head disappeared from her field of vision. She could feel her body slowly coming back to life, like she was being pumped full of new, hot blood. The lioness had long vanished, but the Dementors were retreating again, this time from a gazelle and raccoon.

Before Rose had a chance to register what had happened, she felt hands under her armpits, pulling her to her feet. Someone's hot breath was in her face, and she thought they were yelling, but she wasn't sure. Suppressing a wave on nausea, Rose took a shaking breath and blinked her eyes vigorously. Her head still ached, but she could feel the grey shroud sliding off her mind.

Sound came roaring back like a wave. Screams, pounding rain, and Albus' voice.

"Rose! Come on, Rose!"

Albus and Cassie stood before her.

Albus had a bloody scratch on his cheekbone, but his eyes gleamed with a fervent light that made Rose think he was acting purely on instinct. Cassie looked even paler than she usually did, her long black hair slick to her thin face.

"I'm okay," Rose mumbled thickly.

"Can you bring your Patronus back?" Cassie asked, her voice trembling.

The girl was crying, but her wand was steady. The gazelle didn't flicker.

 _Uncle Harry was right. Bravery isn't only for Gryffindor._

Rose gritted her teeth and struggled to awaken her mind fully. She could still feel the drain of the Dementors, but with Albus and Cassie at her side the fear was less. She wasn't going to make them fight for her.

" _Expecto Patronum."_ Rose growled, praying she could still pull her protector forward.

The Lioness materialized.

Rose let Al grab her hand and drag her down the street. Most of the townspeople were huddled in doorways or lying motionless in the streets. A few people had managed Patronus', but not enough to do more than hold the Dementors at bay in certain areas. Most people were defenseless against the creatures.

"We have to get back to the castle," Al shouted, pushing Cassie and Rose ahead of him as he sent his Patronus behind them, driving the shrouded pursuers back a few paces.

Rose nodded, but she couldn't see how they would make it.

The three teenagers stumbled down a side street, trying desperately to move away from the Dementors.

"Where are the professors?" Rose whispered to Cassie.

She knew there had to be a number of professors in Hogsmeade, but she hadn't seen any since the chaos broke out.

Cassie shivered as a gust of wind ripped between them, "They're defending the Three Broomsticks and other places on the main street, that's where most of the students were when it happened. Luka told us where you two would be though, so we came to find you."

Rose felt a rush of gratitude and guilt.

 _They cannot die because of me._

Rose gritted her teeth and poured more energy into her Patronus.

* * *

O

* * *

Eva threw the car into gear and slammed her foot down on the gas, ripping up the Hogwarts' lawn as she directed the vehicle through the gates and towards the village. The rain smashed down on to the hood of the car with enough force that made Eva wonder if it was turning to hale.

She could feel Scorpius' energy coiled tight beside her.

"Can you conjure a Patronus?"

Scorpius shifted in his seat, "Yes. I'll deal with the Dementors, you find Al and Rose."

Eva nodded. She couldn't help but notice he hadn't mentioned Marie.

As they arrived on the crest of the village Eva could just make out a few dozen people running through the rain, a number of Patronus' glittering at their sides. It seemed as if the main street had been secured, and Eva could make out a few professors beside the silver guardians.

"It looks okay," Scorpius murmured, eyeing the street.

Eva turned the car away from the main road, "They're not there."

She could feel Rose and Albus in her bones. It was like a magnet was stuck in her sternum, yanking her towards her friends.

If Scorpius doubted her, he stayed silent.

It only took a few seconds before the Dementors began to appear around the car, their tattered robes whipping in the harsh wind. Eva felt despair begin to seep into her bones at the sight of them. Biting the inside of her lip until she taste blood, Eva focused on the little piece of magic that was guiding her to her friends.

" _Expecto Patronum."_

Scorpius' voice rumbled low beside her, and she felt a quiver of warmth up her spine. A silvery shape materialized in front of the car like a like a lighthouse beacon and slowly condensed into a proud timber wolf.

* * *

O

* * *

Rose let out a small cry of despair as the Dementors surrounded them. She could feel Albus and Cassie pressed against her back as the three of them faced off against seven Dementors. The mud froze underfoot, and Rose could feel the rain solidifying on her skin.

The gazelle was the first to vanish.

Rose reached for Cassie's now limp wand hand and clutched the girl, "It's going to be okay."

 _No it's not._

Her lioness vanished.

Rose felt defeat smash into her like a physical blow. She could almost feel her soul rising into her throat, ready to be sucked away for an eternity of despair. She was barely cognisant of Albus' raccoon flickering into nothingness. All she could focus on was the curl of her breath in the air and the black haze fluttering at the corners of her eyes. She felt Cassie's hand slip from hers as the hooded figures loomed closer. Albus was murmuring quietly, but she couldn't tell if he was talking to himself or to Cassie.

She closed her eyes, refusing to look at the creatures. She didn't mind the thought of dying anymore, it was nothing compared to the ice pumping through her body.

A screech made Rose open her eyes.

A mud splattered automobile had appeared a few feet away. The heat from the engine curled up into the air, almost as if the car itself was breathing. The back door flew open at the same time as a large silvery wolf appeared in front of them, its hackles raised in defiance as it drove the Dementors back.

Rose's body surged back into action and she grabbed Albus and Cassie, hauling them towards the vehicle.

"Expecto Patronum!" Rose shouted, pointing her wand at the Dementors.

Her lioness joined the wolf effortlessly, and the two predators stalked forwards. Only a second passed before they were joined by Albus' raccoon and Cassie's elegant gazelle.

"Rose! Al!"

Rose turned to see Eva leaning out the driver's side window. Her short honey blonde hair was plastered to her face, but her blue eyes were alive with fire.

 _Eva._

Rose's stomach dropped as she recognized the pale blonde wizard just visible behind Eva in the passenger seat. Scorpius Malfoy looked as calm as ever, though his skin had a greyish tinge that made him look almost ghostly.

"Get in the car!" Scorpius shouted.

For the first time in her life Rose obeyed Scorpius without a second thought. She launched herself into the backseat, not needing to look behind her to know Albus and Cassie were right behind her.

The tires spun furiously in the mud before gripping and launching the car down the sodden road and towards the main street.

Rose's shoulder connected with the car door painfully, and she grabbed the back of Scorpius' seat to steady herself. The car was skidding wildly along the street, and Eva was gripping the steering wheel so hard that Rose could see her friend's knuckles through her skin.

"Hold on," Eva snapped, throwing the car into gear and causing everyone to slam back into their headrests.

Rose could see Cassie clinging to Albus, her hazel eyes wide with terror. Rose wondered briefly if Cassie had ever been in a car. Albus' looked relatively calm in contrast, though she could see his chest rising and falling rapidly under his sodden uniform.

The car screeched to a halt as they reached a line of Patronus'. Rose could just make out what looked like half the Ministry of Magic apperating outside the Three Broomsticks. The air was becoming thick with silvery animals as witches and wizards conjured up their defenders to beat back the tide of Dementors.

"Mr. Malfoy! Miss. O'Connor! Miss. Greengrass!"

"Rose! Al!"

Rose looked out the window to see Headmistress McGonagall, her mother and her uncle racing towards the car, their wands held aloft.

"Mum!"

Rose practically fell out of the car in her haste to throw herself into her mother's arms. Hermine's robes were soaked and icy, but Rose clung to them as if she was drowning.

* * *

O

* * *

Eva climbed out of the car, her limbs trembling with a sickening combination of exhaustion and adrenaline. She watched with relief as Albus and Rose tumbled into their parents' arms and Cassie was enveloped in a thick cloak by McGonagall.

 _They're going to be okay._

Eva shivered as the icy wind whipped around her. She was suddenly conscious that the only thing separating her from the storm was a flimsy t-shirt and ripped jeans.

Just as she was about to crawl back into the car she felt a blanket wrap around her shoulders.

Scorpius stood behind her, tucking the blanket firmly around her body.

"I figured we didn't need the car anymore," he said, smiling as much as his trembling would allow.

Eva grabbed the hem of the blanket wrapped it around his shoulders so that they stood side-by-side in the cocoon. It was a testament to how cold he was that he didn't argue, and simply wrapped one shivering arm around her shoulders and tucked her into his body. Eva pressed against him as much for warm as for the enjoyment of his touch.

"Thank you," she murmured, nuzzling his side with her cheek. She didn't care that the gesture was more intimate than what was appropriate, the cold made her forget the previous night, and she was thankful to be alive and for his warmth.

He remained silent, but his lips brushed the top of her head with a firmness she didn't expect.

The chaos began again, but this time it was quieter. Not really a scream, but a moan. She could feel the grief reverberating around her, and she didn't need to look anywhere but at Scorpius' face to know what flickered above them in the sky, casing an eerie green light onto the devastated village and the witches and wizards that cowered there.


	14. Chapter 14: A Complicated Foregiveness

_I hope the next chapter is to everyone's liking. Also, I changed the cover for this story because after HOURS of searching I finally found a photo that looks like Eva (as I see her). The hair colour is a bit too light, but otherwise it's spot on. This is one of those (many) times when I wish I could draw people…_

 _Shout out to_ _ **Briarsharley**_ _for giving me a favourite, and to_ _ **DCV2AVP**_ _for following *hugs*_

 _ **JayDee**_ _, thank you for the reviews! I'm super glad to hear that's what you're hoping happens… In fact, I think you'll like this chapter ;)_

 _ **Dul'mephistos**_ _– Thanks for the review! I really appreciate your input_ _You're right, the fully fueled car was probably a bit of a stretch for Scor's Transfiguration abilities, but I had a dream about that scene (no joke) and I absolutely had to do it! Hopefully it wasn't too unbelievable. As for the romance…I initially had Rose/Scorpius and Eva/James as my pairings, but once I began writing I realized that the characters weren't who I had originally thought them to be. While I love the idea of the Weasleys and the Malfoys being joined by marriage I feel like Rose/Scorpius, at least in my fiction, aren't really right for each other. Rose is fierce and fiery, and she holds everyone to a really high standard. She expects everyone to be as straight-forward and altruistic as she is. After all, she was raised by two of the most noble and self-sacrificing families of all time. While I can see how she and Scorpius could have been attracted to each other, I honestly couldn't see them making each other happy, at least not at this age. Rose would always be demanding something from Scorpius that he couldn't give. He would forever be falling short of her expectations, and he is stubborn enough that he would never justify himself to her. She can see his weakness, but not his strength. While I see why everyone ships them (and in JKR's universe I do see them together), it didn't feel right to me in the end. It was supposed to, but it didn't. Maybe it's because Scorpius turned out a lot more like Draco than I had anticipated._

* * *

 **Ch 14. A Complicated Forgiveness**

Eva watched the snowflakes slide past the diamond windowpanes of the Hogwarts library. The first real December blizzard had begun overnight, and it didn't show any signs of letting up. Even the Gryffindor Quidditch practice had been cancelled. Eva's eyes drifted from the window to a despondent looking Rose. Her friend was chewing absent mindedly on her fingernails while reading over Eva's Transfiguration essay. The two of them had just finished their first ever Apparition lesson, and Eva was fairly certain it would take more than three lessons for her to get the hang of it. Rose on the other hand seemed to be a natural.

Eva sighed and rested her chin in her hands. There was a feeling of despair clinging to the ancient walls that not even the rapid approach of Christmas could quell.

 _It's really starting to feel like war now._

The new Death Eaters had been busy. Seven muggle buildings had been demolished, including a supermarket and a church. Death Eaters who had renounced their title after Voldemort's downfall and given information to the Ministry were being murdered with a startling frequency, though the Ministry was far more concerned by the murders within their own ranks. Two senior Ministry officials had been killed in their homes, one of whom had been a formidable Auror. Eva knew Mr. Potter suspected the Elder wand in the murder, though the wizarding community still had no idea that the Deathstick had been unleashed.

At least fifteen Hogwarts students had lost family members, either to the strikes on the wizarding community, or in the frequent terror attacks on muggle buildings. The Dementors had been seen twice more, though none of the attacks had been as concentrated as the one in Hogsmeade on November first.

After the attack on Hogsmeade, the entire school had begun looking at Eva like some sort of human crystal ball. She was asked everything from whether or not the Chudely Cannons would win the Quidditch World Cup, to the fate of family members and political figures. Headmistress McGonagall had even called her to the office a few times, wanting to know if she had seen anything. She hadn't.

Eva rubbed her eyes as Rose passed back her essay.

"It's good. I switched a few things around but otherwise it's fine," Rose yawned.

"Thanks," Eva said, tucking it back into her bag without looking at it.

Both friends gazed out the window in silence for a few minutes before Rose began gathering her things and shoving them into her bag so that she could meet Luka.

"I'll see you for dinner, Ev. Good luck with the rest of your homework."

"Have fun with Luka," Eva replied, pulling out her Charms homework.

Eva began scribbling down incantations on her parchment, doggedly working through her final assignment due before the holidays began. There were only four days of classes left, and once the annual Christmas Ball was over Eva would be free to join the Potters and Weasleys for Christmas vacation. Eva doodled a small holly bush with her quill. It seemed odd to her that another Christmas had arrived, this time without either of her parents around to share it with her. Despite the ache in her heart, she didn't feel as upset as she had thought she would. She missed her parents, but with the war looming over everyone, Eva couldn't help but feel a small bit of relief that her parents couldn't be hurt anymore. She didn't believe in Heaven or anything like that, but after all the magic she had witnessed over the last six years she couldn't believe that they were just gone either.

"Eva?"

Eva looked up in surprise to see Cassie standing across from the table, the Slytherin emblem bringing out the green in her hazel eyes.

"Hi Cassie," Eva gave her a small smile. She liked Cassie a lot, but the girl was quite reserved and Eva had found it hard to get close with her.

Cassie took a seat across from her, "I was wondering if I could ask you something."

Eva tilted her head to the side a little bit, briefly wondering if Cassie was going to do what everyone else had done over the last few weeks and ask her to predict the future. She hoped not.

"Has Al mentioned the Ball to you?"

"Erm, no." Eva said honestly, confused.

Cassie shifted awkwardly in her seat, seemingly unable to meet Eva's eyes.

"Well, he hasn't asked me."

Eva couldn't help but smile, "He probably doesn't think he has to, Cassie."

"Yeah, that's what I had thought too… So I brought it up," Cassie's face went red, "and he sort of avoided answering me."

Eva didn't bother hiding her surprise.

Cassie continued, "I was wondering if you… If he had said anything to you about me."

"Only that he really likes you."

Albus had actually used the word 'love' to describe how he felt, but Eva didn't know if he had told Cassie yet, and she didn't want to be the one to relay the news.

Cassie nodded slowly, "Is there anything going on between you two?"

Eva actually choked on her inhale, "What?!"

Cassie went a darker shade of red, "It's just that he talks about you all the time and I know you've been living with his family…"

Eva fought back a feeling of nausea as she pictured her and Al in some sort of lover's embrace, "Oh god, Cassie. No. Definitely not. We're only friends."

Cassie rubbed her face with her hands, "I feel like such an idiot talking to you about this, I'm sorry. I know you guys are just friends. I'm…" she trailed off, looking embarrassed again, "it's just, well, we had sex, and now he doesn't want to go to the Ball with me, and I'm worried something changed. I'm completely panicking because, well, I'm in love with him."

 _Wow. Am I the only virgin left in Hogwarts?_

"Cassie, listen, nothing has changed, I swear. I talked to him the other day and all he said was how much he likes you, and how happy he is with you."

Cassie looked calmer, "Really?"

Eva couldn't believe she was reassuring Cassie Greengrass. The girl usually made Kate Middleton look hysterical.

"He is doing some sort of weird guy thing. I'll talk to him."

Cassie shook her head, "No, don't bother. I'm just over-reacting."

"If you're sure."

"Yes, I'm sure." She smiled, "Thanks for your help, Eva."

Eva watched Cassie walk away, and began packing her things into her bag. She was definitely going to talk to Albus.

* * *

O

* * *

Rose leaned back into the pillows and tried to look satisfied. She knew she wasn't supposed to fake an orgasm, but she was starting to get annoyed with Luka's endless questions about her experience. She couldn't even enjoy the post-sex cuddle anymore without him trying to finish the job. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate his efforts, they just weren't working. It seemed like whatever he did to make himself feel good, but not too good, didn't do anything for her. Unfortunately, when she took control and tried to get what she wanted…he only lasted about five seconds. Then he would feel guilty and try and remedy the "problem" by fingering her…which also never worked.

"That was a-mazing, Rose."

"M-hmm," she nodded, using his blue sheets to wipe away his fluids from the inside of her thighs.

 _Face it, you just aren't as in to him anymore._

Rose rolled over onto her stomach, hoping he took her silence for satisfaction-induced sleepiness. She didn't know what had happened to her feelings for him, but they certainly weren't what they had been.

 _What's wrong with you, Rose? You've only just started having sex with him. You told him you loved him._

Rose nibbled her lip. She didn't know why she wasn't as interested in him anymore.

 _Liar._

The truth was, her "love" had ended almost as soon as it began. At first she hadn't thought she minded that Luka stayed behind when the Dementors attacked, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized how much it had bothered her. Logically, she knew that it wasn't fair to judge him for not running after her into soul-sucking danger… but she did. Eva, Albus and Cassie had all taken up arms, but not Luka.

 _Hell, even Malfoy did._

That was another thing that was bothering her. While everyone else had been looking up at the Dark Mark glittering in the storm-wrecked sky, Rose's eyes had found Eva. Her friend must have been the only other person in Hogsmeade not focusing on the Dark Mark. Instead, Eva had been looking up at Scorpius with something in her eyes that made Rose wonder for the thousandth time if Eva was being honest about her feelings for the Slytherin. It hadn't been the look of doe-eyed adoration that Rose so frequently saw between Albus and Cassie, and Crystal and James, but it had been something.

 _Whatever it was, it's nothing she'll admit to. If she even knows what it is._

Eva had been her best friend since their first day on the train, and Rose wouldn't do anything to change the woman her friend was becoming, but sometimes Rose wondered how well Eva was really coping with what had happened to her. The death of her parents had done something that worried Rose more than the early displays of grief. While Eva had always been the more reserved one, she was almost untouchable now.

 _She doesn't let anyone in anymore._

It was true that Eva talked and joked much like always, but there was a filter between her and the world that Rose hadn't failed to notice. It was like nothing _really_ touched her anymore. Rose had written to her mother about it earlier in the year, and Hermione had said that Eva was probably just trying to protect herself, and to give her time. Rose wasn't good at giving people time, but after talking to Albus she had agreed to leave it alone.

 _But what if something is going on between her and Scorpiss?_

There was no way Rose trusted Malfoy with Eva. He was traitorous scum who couldn't even acknowledge Eva in public, and his girlfriend had actually attacked her in the bathroom.

"Slimy git," Rose mumbled into the pillow.

"What?" Luka asked, pulling her close to him.

Rose supressed the urge to wiggle out of his arms, "Nothing. Just talking to myself."

Luke kissed her hair, "Okay."

He pushed himself into a seated position and stretched.

Rose couldn't deny that he was a good-looking guy. His straw blonde hair and blue eyes were absolutely marvelous together, his full lips were down right kissable, and yet she found the whole combination a little bit boring. Quidditch had made him muscular, and he was already quite solidly built, with thick arms and a broad chest. He had a little paunch around his abdomen, but otherwise he was quite remarkable. His pecks certainly belonged on the cover of Quidditch Today.

 _Is there such thing as too perfect?_

Regardless of his physical beauty, she didn't feel the same way anymore. She still got aroused when they kissed, but she didn't look forward to spending time with him.

 _It's because I don't respect him._

And there it was. The absolute truth. She had lost all respect for him the moment he had elected to stay behind in the Dragon Roost.

Rose sighed and sat up, "I've got to get back to the common room, I told Eva I'd look over her Charms essay."

 _There, that's not really a lie._

Luka nodded, "Sure thing, Rose. We should probably vacate the dorm anyways… The guys are probably starting to lose patience."

Rose smiled and gave him a brief kiss on the lips.

He pulled on his clothes, "Oh, and I know we're already together and everything but…" he transfigured a quill on his bedside table into a thornless, pink rose, "Will you be my date to the Winter Ball?"

Rose took the flower and ran her fingers along the smooth stem. It seemed stupid to break up with Luka without really trying to work things out.

"Of course."

* * *

O

* * *

Eva waited for Albus in the dungeons, outside the Potions classroom. He was a few paces behind the rest of the Slytherins in leaving, so Eva got to watch the entire Slytherin sixth year go past before she got a glimpse of her friend. Eva couldn't help but notice Scorpius walking hand-in-hand with Marie as he left the class. If he noticed her he didn't show it.

"Albus," Eva said, tapping her friend on the shoulder.

Albus smiled, "Hey Ev, what are you doing here?"

Eva fell in beside her friend, "Looking for you. Cassie came to see me in the library today."

"Oh?" Albus looked at her, confused.

It was always better to come straight out with things than to beat around the bush. Especially with Al.

"She thinks you aren't as in to her anymore because you won't ask her to the Ball."

Albus groaned and ruffled his chaotic hair, "Bloody Merlin."

"Why aren't you asking her?"

Albus looked a bit uncomfortable and drifted to a stop, "Well… Because you and I always go together."

Eva stared at him, momentarily stunned.

"Rose always finds herself a date, and so we've always just gone together," Albus finished, scuffing the sole of his shoe on the floor.

Eva felt a surge of affection for her friend, "And now you're found yourself a date, Al. Go with her. You don't need to worry so much about my feelings."

Al looked at her, "I'll always think about your feelings, Ev. I love Cassie, but you've been there for me a lot longer than she has."

"Go with Cassie, Al. I don't mind, really."

He nodded, "You'll still go?"

Eva sighed, "Honestly, I wasn't planning on it. I don't even have a dress."

Albus frowned, "That doesn't matter. Please come. I swear you won't be third wheeling or anything. Rose will want you to be there too."

"I'll think about it. Now please go talk to your girlfriend, okay? She thinks you're not asking her because you guys had sex and it made you weird."

Albus flushed, "Erm. She told you about that?"

Eva smirked, "Mhhm. I notice that you didn't."

"Just because Rose likes to tell us about her sexual encounters doesn't mean I do. Plus, I didn't want Cassie to feel like I was shouting it about with my mates."

Eva smiled, "You're really and amazing guy, Al. She's lucky to have you."

Albus rolled his eyes, "Yeah well, can you image what mum would do to me if I shagged around and bragged about it?"

Eva winced, "Point taken."

Al put his arm around her, "You could find a date too y'know. I'm sure plenty of guys would be down to go with you."

 _I'm pretty sure it would be frowned upon if the guy I wanted attended the dance._

"I'm not looking for a guy, Al."

Albus sighed, "Yeah, I know. Do you mind me asking why? Is there a muggle guy?

Eva shook her head. It was true that she had had dated a few muggle boys between school semesters, though she had never actually initiated any of the short-lived relationships. She always spent her summers working, so she often ended up in casual would-be romances with co-workers that she ended before heading back to school. She hadn't really felt strongly about any of them, but it had been a way of distracting herself. Plus, it seemed pointless to say no when she didn't really care either way.

"No, not since before fifth year."

Al nodded, "Right. What was his name again?"

"Simon," Eva replied.

She had actually liked Simon quite a bit, though after her mother had died she supposed that she had sort of dropped off the face of the earth. Not that she had been easy to contact in the first place. She didn't even own a cellphone.

"He seemed pretty cool," Albus offered.

"Um, yeah."

Albus had actually met Simon, and the two boys had gotten along remarkably well.

"He reminded me a bit of James."

Eva supressed a groan, "Yeah. I guess there was a bit of a similarity."

"Do you still like him? James I mean, not Simon."

Eva gagged, completely thrown, "What?!"

Albus looked at her, "Don't worry, I don't think he knows."

 _Nobody should know. First Scorpius, now you._

Eva felt like her face had caught fire, "How do _you_ know?"

"I've known you for six years, Eva. Plus, I sort of guessed after every guy you dated looked like him."

 _Wow, am I seriously that pathetic?_

As if he could read her mind Albus continued, "You don't be embarrassed, Ev. Not around me."

"I'm pretty sure anyone in my position with an ounce of self-respect would be embarrassed, Al."

"I had actually thought you were over it."

Eva chewed the inside of her lip, "I think I sort of am. Maybe. I don't know. I've liked him for so long that I think I always just go back to him. Even though I know he doesn't feel the same way."

Albus nodded, "Yeah, I can see that. But," he paused, "do you think that's maybe why you like him?"

Eva stared at him, confused.

"I just mean… Do you think you'd still like him if he liked you?"

Eva frowned, "Isn't that the point of liking someone? Wanting to be with them?"

Albus shrugged, "I guess. It's just… I don't see you two together. And I don't just say that because he doesn't have feelings for you."

Albus took a seat on one of the stone benches in the corridor and Eva dropped down beside him.

"Don't get me wrong, I love him. He's an amazing guy, and he'll make someone really happy. I just can't see him making _you_ happy."

Eva's brow furrowed, "Why not?"

Al leaned back into the wall with a sigh, "Because I don't think you two speak the same language. He wants everything _right now_ with a joke and a smile. He's got a temper, and he wears everything on his sleeve. You're quiet, keeping everything on the inside until you know where you stand. He changes his mood like spring time, and you're the lake in the dead of winter. I think you like him because he's good to you, and you don't have to give him part of you in return. He only sees what's on the outside, and that's the way you like it. He's there when you want him to be, but I don't think he could ever open you up and pull you out the way you're going to need. I think you like him because he can't make you feel anything you can't control. With him, you what to expect." He ran his fingers through his hair and stood up, "Just think about it okay?"

Eva frowned as Albus walked away, not knowing what else to say. She wanted to be angry with him for making such grand assumptions, but part of her recognized that there was some truth to what he had said. She just didn't know how much.

"He's right you know."

Eva whirled around to see Scorpius leaning behind a pillar, his pale hair brushed back from his face.

"It's rude to eavesdrop," she snapped, knowing her cheeks were red with embarrassment. They hadn't talked since the Dementor attack on Hogsmeade and, if she was being honest, it was because she was avoiding him.

He shrugged casually, "I forgot something. I didn't intend to overhear."

"That clearly didn't stop you from listening."

He met her gaze steadily, "No, it didn't. I was curious to see what would happen when someone finally called you out."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

He tilted his head, "James has always just been an excuse."

Eva bristled, anger beginning to replace embarrassment, "Who the hell do you think you are, Sc-Malfoy? You can't just drop down into my life whenever the fuck you want and act like you know me."

He closed the distance between them in three long strides, "I do know you."

Eva hated herself for stepping backwards, but she desperately needed to put more distance between her and the grey storm in his eyes.

He moved closer, "And you know me." A little smirk played at the corners of his mouth, "That's why you can't stay mad."

Eva stepped forward and slammed her palms into his chest, pushing him backwards.

"You arrogant git. I _am_ mad at you. You think you can just stand there and watch someone torture me, and then make it up by transfiguring a car? That I'm going to roll over and act like everything is okay?"

He looked down at her hands, and Eva was suddenly incredibly conscious of his heartbeat tickling her palm.

It was quite fast.

She let her hands drop, not knowing why she had allowed them to linger in the first place.

"I'm pretty sure I did more than transfigure a car, Eva."

She narrowed her eyes, remembering the silver wolf that had guarded them, "I told you I didn't want you in my life anymore. Just because I put that aside to save the people I actually care about, doesn't mean I forgave you."

 _Actually care about?_

She pushed back a surge of guilt at the small twinge of hurt that appeared in the form of pursed lips.

"Look at me and tell me you really want me out of your life," His eyes glinted, challenging her.

Eva dug her nails into her palm. Stubbornness decreed that she faced him and told him just that… And yet, she couldn't form the words. She felt her shoulders slump a little in defeat.

 _Why can't I lie to you?_

"You hurt me," her voice was rawer than she had intended, but she pushed through, "Scorpius, I've never asked you for anything more than what you could give, what you wanted to give. I think I was a good friend to you, wasn't I?" She looked up into his eyes, "But you let me down this time. I expected more from you, and I think I needed more from you. So no, I don't want the Scorpius I grew up with out of my life, but I do want you out of my life. Because he wouldn't have done to me what you did. He would have protected me, just like I would have protected him."

Scorpius let out a deep breath, and when he looked at her, she saw something she couldn't quite name.

"I don't know what to do, Ev."

She blinked in confusion, "What do you mean? It's not like you were forced into this, Scor. You chose this, you chose them."

He flexed his hands, "No, it's more… complicated than that."

Eva took a deep breath and looked straight at him, "I gave you a chance once before to tell me what was going on, and you chose not to. Don't make the same mistake again, because I won't give you another chance."

He closed his eyes briefly, before brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "This is bigger than you think, Ev."

Once again she was surprised by how gentle he was.

"If I tell you, there's no going back."

She reached up and took his hand between both of hers, "I won't want to go back."

He turned and led her backwards into the now empty Potions classroom. She watched as he shut the door and cast a charm to prevent eavesdropping and then turned to face her, his face like stone.

 _How big could this be?_

Her heart was pounding against her ribcage hard enough that she wondered if it would leave a bruise.

"You have to promise me that what I tell you doesn't leave this room. Ever."

She hesitated, thinking of Al and Rose.

As if reading her mind Scorpius added, "People could die, Eva. I need you to trust me."

 _I do. Maybe I shouldn't, but I still do._

"I promise."

He nodded and wet his bottom lip with a quick flick of his tongue, "Do you remember the first day the Dark Mark was seen again? When I ran into Rose on the steps to the Owlry?"

Eva nodded.

"Do you remember what she said to me?"

Eva dragged herself back to that stairway, remembering the hurtful words Rose had hurled at him about his parents, and what Scorpius had screamed back.

"She asked if you were going to join up like your father."

He nodded, "Exactly. She wasn't the only one to ask either. Everyone looked at me differently, and yet I knew that my father was in more danger than almost anyone else. He betrayed people, bad people." He sat down on a vacant desk, "Rose reminded me of the sacrifice my dad made to make sure I had a better shot at happiness than he had, and in doing that he made himself a lot of enemies. If the Death Eaters were back, my father was in danger."

Eva could feel the pieces falling together.

"So I had to find a way in, a way to restore my family's name in those circles, to make sure my parents weren't punished for doing the right thing."

"Marie," Eva whispered.

"I knew she liked me, and that her family was still wrapped up deep in the Dark Arts. Her mother's family was very loyal to Voldemort, and her father's allegiance wasn't hard won. I knew that if something was rising, her family would be in the thick of it. Her bother Regan is as toxic as the worst of them, and she worships him."

"So you got in with her."

Scorpius nodded, "I used her to get accepted into their inner circle, and did my best to shield my parents by going along with their pure-blood, muggle-hating mantra. I've been with them all long enough that I'm starting to get real information, Ev. Information that could hurt them."

Eva could feel her blood pounding through her veins, "Do you know who the leader is?"

He shook his head, "No. And neither does anyone else I talk to. Whoever it is, they're well hidden. The network is pretty extensive, with everyone reporting up." His eyes flickered dangerously, "But with time I could know who is running it."

She felt a little spasm of worry in her chest, "But what if they find out?"

"They won't. My parents are both incredibly adept at Occlumency, and they've been teaching me for years. No one can get in my head without me letting them." He looked at her, "We're going to have to find a way for me to teach you though."

"Who knows the truth?"

"My parents. And now you."

Eva bit the inside of her lip, realizing just how much he was giving her.

She took a deep breath, "What can I do?"

He narrowed his eyes, "What?"

Eva could feel excitement building in her stomach as an idea flashed into her mind, "You said you might be able to get information, information that could help bring them down."

He nodded slowly.

"So who are you reporting to?" she asked.

He blinked, "No one. I told you, no one knows but you and my parents. I haven't figured out how to connect with the Order without endangering my family."

"So use me."

He opened his mouth, clearly ready to object.

She held up her hand to silence him, "Think about it. If we do it right, no one would need to know I have any connections inside. We could make all your information seem like visions. Everyone thinks I'm a Seer, and who knows, maybe I am, but this way there wouldn't be as much cause for the Death Eaters to suspect a mole."

"No," he stood up, "it's too dangerous, Eva. They'll kill you if they find out." He ran his hands through his hair, looking frustrated, "This is not why I told you."

This time it was Eva who closed the distance between them, "They want to kill us all anyway, Scorpius. Let me help you. Let me help you fight back."


	15. Chapter 15: Unfiltered

_**HPDWTWD**_ _and_ _ **Dul'mephistos**_ _, so glad you guys are liking it so far! I actually danced around my bathroom when I read the reviews you both left. As far as a pairing for Rose goes, I do have somebody in mind, but I'll have to see if she ends up actually liking them. Either way, it will be awhile before Rose finds her other half…_

 _Also to the Guest reviewer who doesn't usually like stories that revolve around O.C but likes this one – THANK YOU! I hope Eva continues to not disappoint._

 _Just a casual *wink* reminder *wink* that this story is rated M._

* * *

 **Ch. 15 Unfiltered**

Eva pushed at her potatoes with her fork, eyeing the magic icicles hanging from the ceiling and trying to ignore the conversations around her, all of which were centered on the impending festivities. The Christmas Ball was in twelve hours, and Eva had all but decided she wasn't going. Her talk with Albus the previous day had made her consider finding herself a date and going, if only to prove that she didn't have some sort of masochistic obsession with his brother. The idea that she had hung on to her feelings for James in order to avoid actually committing to someone was fairly disturbing.

 _Am I so desperate not to feel anything?_

Eva bit the inside of her lip fiercely. She desperately wanted to prove Albus and Scorpius wrong, but she had a feeling that getting all hopped up on Firewhiskey wasn't the way to do it. Plus, after what Scorpius had told her in the Potions classroom, she felt as if she needed days to think.

Eva nibbled a piece of toast and put it back on her plate. Scorpius had eventually relented and agreed that using her as his connection to the Order of the Phoenix was a good plan. She knew he wasn't happy about her involvement, but he hadn't been able to think of a good reason not to include her, besides the fact that it would be dangerous. They had already agreed to meet once a week to work on Occlumency, though they hadn't figured out where to practice without being overheard or seen. All they needed was a way for them to communicate without raising suspicion. Eva chewed the inside of her lip, trying to think of something and wishing for the thousandth time that she could tell Rose.

 _I promised, and it was worth it._

Losing Scorpius had hurt more than she had anticipated, and it felt good to have him occupying her mind without any of the usually associated guilt and betrayal.

 _It was a façade. A mask._

She smiled.

 _He can call me mudblood every day if that's what it takes to bring the Death Eaters down._

This was bigger than her pride, and she would gladly sacrifice it.

A screech overhead announced the arrival of the morning post.

Eva reached out and plucked the Daily Prophet from one of the many school owls, bracing herself for bad news.

Scanning over the front page Eva quickly determined that while nothing had changed, nothing particularly horrible had happened either. There was seldom anything good to be reported. If any of the Death Eaters had been caught it would have been on the first page. Instead, the prophet was filled with self-protection tips and an article on spells to help muggle neighbours stay safe.

 _At least no one died yesterday._

A sharp pain in her forearm made her realize that a second owl was waiting for her attention, and had swiped her arm with sharp talons.

 _Who would be mailing me?_

She pulled a dark blue package towards her. It was about half as thick as a shoe box and twice as wide, tied with a black lace ribbon.

 _Little dramatic for the Potters or the Weasleys._

Eva touched the ribbon. Sometimes Rose and Al's parents sent her presents, but only on her birthday or holidays. Since she was going to spend the holidays with them, an early Christmas present didn't make a lot of sense.

 _Plus, I can't imagine either Hermione or Ginny picking out this ribbon._

She pulled a small piece of thick parchment out from underneath the bow and flipped it over.

 _"_ _Eva Victoria O'Connor,_

 _The night is yours. Enjoy it."_

Eva felt her eyebrows arch and she flipped the paper over, looking for the sender. She didn't think either of her friends' families knew her middle name, and she was pretty sure they would have signed the card. She glanced back at the owl, who was taking a drink from her goblet. Whoever had sent the package had used one of the school owls to deliver it to her.

Eva slid her fingers under the golden star and popped the lid open.

A delicate, dark green velvet dress lay nestled in the tissue paper. It shimmered in the candle light like dragon scale. She lifted the dress up with trembling fingertips.

Rose choked on her pumpkin juice, "Woah. Who is that from?"

Eva shook her head, completely stunned, "I have no idea. No name on the card."

Rose whistled, touching a small tag attached to the side of the dress with a golden pin, "Well that's one pricey dress."

"It is?" Eva looked for a price tag, but it had been removed. All that she could see was the small brand name, which read _Scylla_. She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She hoped Rose was wrong and it wasn't really that expensive.

 _I only really know the Potters and the Weasleys… Who can afford to spend money on a stranger?_

Rose nodded, "Yeah, that's a shop in Paris. Mum took me there once when we were looking for a gown for her to wear to Uncle Charlie's wedding."

"Holy smokes, you're definitely going to the ball now, Ev."

Eva looked up to see Albus, who was eyeing the dress and looking impressed.

Eva flushed, "It must have been a mistake."

 _But they wrote your whole name on the card. There isn't even another Eva at Hogwarts._

Before Eva could wrap the dress back up, Rose snatched the card. She held it up, displaying the small elegant script for Albus to read.

"I don't think it was a mistake," Rose remarked, looking at Al.

To her surprise Albus' green eyes narrowed as he took in the writing.

"You're coming now right, Ev?" Rose asked, tapping Eva's shoulder.

Eva looked away from Albus and back down at the dress, not sure anymore.

Rose laughed at the indecision on Eva's face, "You're definitely coming. It would be a crime to waste that dress."

* * *

O

* * *

Eva doodled in the margin of her textbook, only half listening to Professor Goodwin. No matter how hard she tried to concentrate, her mind kept straying back to her conversation with Scorpius. She was painfully aware that if anyone dove into her mind, Scorpius and his family would be exposed. She had only ever seen Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy a few times, and Scorpius had never introduced her, but she still felt an odd sense of protectiveness over them.

 _He doesn't deserve to lose them._

She nibbled her lip and snuck a quick look in his direction.

He was looking out the window while Marie traced patters on his knee with delicate white fingers. He had shadows under his eyes, like midnight bruises.

 _I guess neither of us slept._

Turning back to her notebook she realized that she had doodled the letters S.H.M below the chapter heading.

 _Jesus. This isn't going to be a secret for long if you let your brain spill out all over your notes._

 _Looks like a lovers tag. Idiot._

Eva scribbled them out frantically, snapping the end of her quill and spraying ink all over the page.

"Shit!" Eva hissed as her elbow knocked over her inkwell, completely drenching her textbook and covering her hands.

"Merlin, Ev!" Rose hissed, pushing her chair backwards to avoid the inky waterfall threatening to spill over and drench her skirt.

"Sorry," Eva whimpered, attempting to control the spill with her hands.

"Everything okay, Miss. O'Connor?" Professor Goodwin asked, looking irritated.

Eva felt her face flush, the whole class was looking at her.

"Yes, sir."

Eva could hear Marie and Victoria laughing.

"Scrougify," Professor Goodwin snapped, pointing his wand at her notes and textbook.

The ink siphoned off her notes.

 _Uhg. Probably should have thought of that._

"You can go clean yourself up in the washroom, Miss. O'Connor."

Eva nodded and made her way towards the back of the classroom, walking by Scorpius.

She felt something slide into the pocket of her robes at the exact same moment as Marie whispered, "I don't think going to the washroom is going to help you wash the dirt off."

Eva hesitated for a split second, her first thought being that Marie had slipped some sort of time-bomb into her robes, but she quickly determined that there was no way Marie could have reached past Scorpius.

 _No, it must have been Scorpius._

She bit her tongue and strode past Marie.

Eva let out a breath as she pushed past the classroom door and into the hallway, her heart pounding. It was ridiculous that Marie's taunts about her parentage still affected her after so many years. She wasn't ashamed of her muggle heritage, but it infuriated her to think that some people thought her parents were dirty, or not as worthy of respect because they lacked the magical gene.

Eva reached inside her pocked, the rough outline of parchment bringing her back to the present and away from her history with Marie Zabini.

She swallowed her excitement and walked to the girls' bathroom, locking the cubicle door behind her and taking a seat on the covered toilet. She left ink prints behind as she carefully unfolded the parchment.

Something slithered to the floor.

Eva bent down and picked up what had fallen, holing it in front of her.

A solid gold ring hung from an almost hair-thin chain. Looking closer, Eva realized that the band was actually made of a serpent eating its own tail. Small, black diamond eyes looked at her reproachfully, as if asking why it had landed in her possession. The ring was incredibly detailed, with intricate golden scales glittering along the snake's length.

An engraving along the serpent's belly caught her eye.

 _Narcissa Druella Malfoy_

Eva ran her fingers over the tiny letters before turning back to the parchment.

 _Eva,_

 _This is a copy of a ring that now belongs to me. It has been in the family for centuries, so no one will think anything odd if I wear it. You on the other hand should probably not flaunt it. I highly doubt it will fit on any of your tiny fingers anyways, so I included a chain. It should be long enough that you can keep it hidden under your clothes. It's important that you wear it._

 _I have charmed the two to mirror one another. If your ring grows hot, it's because I need to meet with you. If you aren't in a place where our meeting can be secret, simply make the ring cold and I will know not to come. When you're available, heat the ring (but don't make it too hot because I'll be wearing it, and I'd rather you not burn me)._

Eva smiled.

 _When we are on Hogwarts grounds, make whatever excuse you can think of to hang back after our Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Goodwin. Heating the ring lets me know you've found a way to stay back and meet me, a cold ring means you couldn't ditch Weasley. A cold ring from me means I couldn't ditch Marie._

 _Once I get the signal that you can meet, I will Apparate to you. The ring acts as a tether between us, so I won't need to know where you are for me to be able to get to you. Remember to signal whether or not you can meet me. I won't always come right after I send the signal, so make sure you change the ring to reflect your status. If you need to see me, use the same signals._

 _If I die, so will the enchantment._

 _Destroy this letter, and don't write me back. We will use the rings to communicate from now on._

 _-SM_

 _PS. Because I know you're wondering, the ring was my grandfather's wedding band. I inherited it when he died last summer. The name engraved on the inside is my grandmother's._

Eva slipped the chain over her neck, the serpent settling between her breasts. There was something oddly comforting about its presence, and she could feel it quickly adapting to her body temperature.

She stood up, taking her wand from her robes and lighting the parchment on fire with a silent flick of her wand. She waited until the flames were almost burning her finger tips before dropping the remains into the toilet.

 _And so it begins._

* * *

O

* * *

Eva stood in front of the mirror in the Gryffindor girls' dormitory, unable to do anything but stare. Whoever had bought her the dress had guessed her size perfectly. The velvet hugged every curve, with a high, halter neck that left her back completely bare and allowed her to keep Scorpius' ring hidden. The fabric hugged her small waist, accentuating the curve of her hips and flaring out a bit mid-thigh. There was a long slit up the side that made Eva relieved she wasn't any taller. She couldn't wear a bra with the dress, and she flushed a little as she registered how firmly the fabric clung to her small breasts. With the high, strappy black heels Tara had lent her, the hem just brushed the ground. Her honey blonde hair went brilliantly with the deep green velvet, and the make-up from Charlotte made her eyes look even wider than usual.

"Ev, come on, let's see," Rose pounded impatiently on the door.

Eva bit her lip and unlocked the door.

"Holy. Hairy. Giant. Balls!" Rose shrieked.

Tara peaked around Rose and whistled, "About time we see some leg."

"Woah," Charlotte gasped, looking a tad jealous.

"Who exactly is your mysterious benefactor? Because I can guarantee you it's a he, and he wants to shag the shit out of you," Becky laughed, walking around Eva and surveying the swooping back.

Eva felt her face flush, "I'm not sure about that."

Becky rolled her eyes, "Trust me, no one buys a dress like that for someone that they don't want to shag. Plus, whoever it was got your size perfectly. That suggests a lot of time looking at your body and imagining what it would look like out of your uniform."

Rose nodded, "I'm afraid Becky's probably right on this one. You look like a goddess. Whoever it was seriously didn't mess around."

Eva nibbled her lip and looked back in the mirror, "Um, yeah they have good taste."

It felt weird to be receiving so many compliments. She knew she was no hag, but she had never considered "sexy" or "beautiful" as one of her descriptives.

It was safe to say the dress was threatening to change that perception.

* * *

Eva walked down the main staircase, feeling goose pimples ripple up her arms as a few seventh year Ravenclaws eyed her appreciatively. Tara had done some sort of adapted cushioning charm on her heels, and as a result Eva was able to wear shoes that would have usually made her cry. She was probably around 4'5'' now, four inches taller than usual, and she felt like some sort of giant Amazonian goddess, despite hitting a height most people would consider average.

Rose grabbed her hand and whispered something in her ear about one of the Ravenclaws, but Eva couldn't quite catch it. Turns out Becky and Tara had rustled up quite a bit of wine for the occasion, and all five girls were completely tossed before they even left their dorm.

 _So much for a quiet evening at home._

Eva felt a rush of euphoria and let Becky twirl her once they got off the stairs. She didn't have much experience with alcohol, but now she understood why it was such a big deal. She felt more relaxed than she had in months, or maybe even years. She didn't feel self-conscious in the clinging velvet anymore, on the contrary, she felt absolutely spellbound.

"This is amazing," she breathed, looking up at the great hall.

The ceiling was enchanted so that snowflakes fell lazily downwards, vanishing before they touched the students. Huge Christmas tress grew around the outside of the hall, making everything look like it was taking place in a snowy forest clearing. The dance floor glittered like ice, and the house tables had vanished entirely.

Eva was starting to suspect that magic would never become normal to her.

"Come on!" Tara laughed, dragging the other girls towards the dance floor.

Eva didn't hesitate, and allowed herself to be towed into the thick of the dancing, her short blonde hair flying around her as she twirled and jumped.

Eva laughed as Albus did one of his usual, ridiculous dance moves, and not even the sight of Marie looking stunning in in red chiffon was enough to dampen her mood.

 _I wonder where Scorpius is._

Eva looked back over at Marie. The Slytherin girl was leaning against the wall talking to Victoria with a distinct pinched expression that made Eva think she wasn't very happy about something.

"Eva? Earth to Eva!"

Eva looked back around to see Rose and the rest of the Gryffindor girls staring at her.

"Um, sorry, what?" Eva asked, suppressing a giggle. Everything was much funnier with wine.

Rose rolled her eyes, "Luka and some of his mates just asked us to join them in the courtyard. Are you coming?"

Before she could reply, Tara grabbed her by one arm and Albus grabbed her by the other.

"Looks like I am," she laughed.

* * *

About an hour later Rose, Luka, Eva, Tara, Albus, Cassie and a few Ravenclaw friends of Luka's were all huddled in an archway, discreetly nocking back Firewhiskey. Eva had planned on stopping her alcohol consumption after the wine in the dorm, but one pleading look from Tara and it was all over. Eva wasn't used to getting along so well with the other Gryffindor girls, and it surprised her how much she was enjoying fitting in. After all, a hangover didn't seem like such an awful price to pay for a night of fun.

Eva felt a Tara's sharp elbow collide with her ribs.

"Eva, check it out. Rose' sexy cousin is coming this way."

Eva looked over to see James making his way towards them and she nervously smoothed her dress. As far as she could tell he hadn't noticed her.

 _Well, if there is ever a time for him to realize you're not a little kid anymore, this is it._

James smiled at his brother, "Drinking on school grounds?"

One of the Ravenclaws laughed, clearly on good terms with James, "Please, Potter. I've watched you chuck out the window."

James rolled his eyes, "Let's not trade stories, Fletchly. It wouldn't work out for you."

Eva felt her heart stop as James' eyes flickered over her, comprehension slowly dawning in his brown eyes.

"Eva." He was staring at her now, but not with freshly born lust, or even a hint of admiration. He looked horrified.

Her stomach dropped.

"What the hell are you wearing?"

Eva felt her face flush as Rose jumped to her defense.

As always, Rose was three sentences deep before Eva could even think of something to say.

"Sod-off, James. She looks amazing."

"Amazing? I think she left some of her dress at home! In fact, I think you both did." His eyes narrowed, "Are you two drunk?"

Eva couldn't tell if she wanted to run away, or hex him.

"So what if we are?" Rose hissed.

James narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth, but Luka cut him off.

"Listen, James, Rose and Eva aren't twelve."

Albus untangled himself from Cassie and eyed his brother, clearly irritated, "Either throw us in detention or get lost, James." He glanced at his best friends, "And you certainly don't have a right to give them flack for their choice of attire."

Eva felt her chest tightening at the look of indignation on James' face. She couldn't believe that he thought he had the right to come over and shame her and Rose about their dresses, and about drinking, when everyone knew that James had done his fair share of drunken debauchery during his time in Hogwarts. Not only that, but Crystal was certainly not wearing a dress of modest intentions.

"How dare you."

It took Eva a moment to realize it was her who had spoken.

James looked a little surprised, but before he could say anything Eva jumped off the bench and pushed past him, purposefully slamming her shoulder into his as she walked by.

 _That's it. That's fucking it. I'm done. I don't care why I liked him in the first place. It's done. I'm not wasting another bloody second pining after him._

Before she knew it she was halfway down a deserted corridor.

 _Hm. Either I just magically apparated inside Hogwarts...or I am starting to black out a little._

She took a deep breath and pushed herself into a classroom, closing the door behind her and leaning her forehead against the smooth wood.

 _Five minutes and then I am going to go back there and snog one of those Ravenclaw blokes until his knees give out. James can take fucking pictures for all I care._

"Looks like you're having quite the night."

 _Yes, it would be you._

Eva turned around, instantly falling back into the door for support as the floor shifted under her feet, "You following me?"

Scorpius arched an immaculate eyebrow. He was sitting on the professor's desk, with a fire burning low behind him, illuminating his pale features and drawing charcoal shadows along his jaw and cheekbones. His shirtsleeves were rolled up almost to his elbows, showing off the lean muscle in his forearms. She couldn't help but notice that there were a few more buttons on his shirt undone than usual. Firelight glinted on pearly white collar bones.

 _God damn, I'd really like to kiss those._

Eva giggled, shocked at her lack of embarrassment.

"I'd just like to remind you that it was you that barged in on me," he drawled, taking a swig from the bottle of Firewhiskey in his hand.

Eve eyed him curiously, taking in his ruffled shirt and tousled hair, before coming to a conclusion. Scorpius Malfoy was drunk. His eyes were sparkling with a fire that she had only seen hints of before, and a light sheen of sweat glittered on his temples. The bottle was more than three quarters done.

 _Well shit._

Eva tried to focus on walking in a straight line as she made her way over to the desk, popping herself up beside him, "Where have you been? I haven't seen you all night." She wet her lips with her tongue, tasting wine, "Marie was looking pretty pissed."

Scorpius snorted and took another drink, "I made the mistake of thinking I'd like her better if I got drunk. Turns out it just got harder to fake it." He laughed, "I came in here to cool off but," he held up the bottle, "I ended up just getting pissed."

Eva laughed and kicked off her heels, enjoying the pleasant spinning sensation she got when she shook her head.

He held out the bottle for her to take.

Eva bit her lip and then took a swig, her cheeks flushing at the look in his eyes as her lips touched the neck of the bottle.

 _Why is he looking at me like that?_

She had never seen him so…unfiltered. It was like he'd left his mask at home.

He ran his fingers through his hair and a rough laugh escaped his lips, "I'm definitely drunk."

She laughed, "No way, how can you tell?"

Scorpius chuckled low in the back of his throat, and her whole body tingled as he lay down beside her.

"So what brings you in here?"

Eva turned her head to look down him.

 _Merlin. What did he say? And when did he get so beautiful?_

His hair was all mussed up, and his grey eyes were sparkling in a way that kindled a shameless heat between her legs. She could feel her breathing becoming a bit irregular, and for the first time she let herself look at him without caring if he saw.

He was beyond striking. With his wiry muscle and proud nose, he looked like a Roman emperor fallen into the wrong time. She looked at his hands, noticing the golden band on his right ring finger. She wondered if he could feel her heartbeat through it. She looked back up into his eyes, they seemed almost navy in the low light. His irises reflected the flames in a way that made it look like he had small star-strewn oceans inside of him. Eva's heart trembled.

 _Bad idea._

Eva pushed herself up onto her knees so that she was hovering above him. His tongue flicked out, wetting his bottom lip.

 _Really bad idea._

He was propped up on his elbows, looking at her with what she swore was a challenge.

 _Bad. Idea._

She had no idea who moved first, but she was suddenly sitting side-saddle on his lap with her hands tangled in his soft hair. His lips felt like silk as they moved against hers, causing her breath to come in quick shattering pants. She couldn't tell if her head was spinning from the alcohol or feeling of his hands on the bare skin of her back.

 _I should have done this ages ago._

She could feel his strong arms snake around her and pull her closer to him, making her imagine things that made her shiver. Just when she was ready to surrender herself completely, she felt him shy away from her.

"What are we doing?" he whispered, his voice horse.

"Crashing and burning," she heard herself answer breathlessly.

Eva felt him stand up, gently sliding her off his lap and setting her on her feet.

"You should go back to the dance, Ev." He sounded tired.

Eva felt like he had slapped her, "What?"

He was refusing to look at her, "Just go back to the dance. You're drunk and you don't know what you're doing."

Eva clenched her fists, "Apparently neither do you."

He still wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Fuck, Scorpius." she hissed, turning away and striding towards the door, fury pounding in her veins. It was true that she had no idea what she had been doing, but it hadn't felt like the wrong decision, and he was looking like he'd made the worst mistake of his life.

 _Am I so undesirable?_

To her horror she felt tears pricking her eyes, "Fine. I'll just go find someone else."

 _I am so sick of feeling like this._

Eva grabbed the door handle.

"Eva," Scorpius called.

She turned around, her heart flickering back into life.

He held up her shoes.

Embarrassment smashed into her like a hammer. She stumbled forward and tried to snatch her shoes from his hand, but he held them tightly.

She could feel the heat from his body quivering against her, threatening to pull her back in.

"Give them back," she hissed, tugging frantically.

He looked at her, his eyes wild and burning, "You mean it? You're going to go and find someone else?" His eyes flickered down to her chest and then back up to her eyes, "You're determined to blow up like this?"

Eva wanted to smack him, "Yes, Malfoy. Believe it or not, I will find someone else."

Between James' scolding and Scorpius' dismissal she had never been so desperate to make all the wrong choices.

And then his mouth was on hers, backing her into the doorway and pressing her up against it.

 _Jesus Christ._

She wrapped her arms around his neck, flicking her tongue against his teeth, not caring if her desperation showed. She was drunk, and wanted him to let go like she had.

He groaned and opened his mouth, his tongue quickly pushing past hers to explore her mouth.

Eva nipped his bottom lip and tangled her fingers in his hair, rubbing herself against him, desperate to feel every inch of him come alive.

His hands reached down beside her and yanked her dress up around her hips so that he could lift her up and pin her against the wall.

She whimpered and wrapped her legs around him, locking her ankles and pressing herself into him.

Scorpius growled in the back of his throat and carried her back over to the desk, setting her down on it with her legs still wrapped around him. She felt the bubble of pressure behind her naval grow as something long and stiff pressed between her legs.

 _Oh god, that's…_

Eva let out a whimper of disappointment as he pulled his hips away from hers.

She looked up at his face. To her relief he was still looking at her.

He bit his lip, and she could see a slight flush spreading along his cheekbones.

Eva reached down and gathered her dress in her hands, pulling it over her head and letting it drop on the floor.

She could feel her nipples harden in the cool air, firelight shadows not enough to warm her. She leaned forward and kissed each of his collarbones before looking back up at him.

He looked down, a small hiss escaping from between his lips as his eyes took in her breasts.

Eva tightened her legs around him, pressing his erection against her.

And he let go.

She let out a small noise of surprise as he crushed his mouth to hers, cupping one of her breasts in his hand and scooping her bottom up with the other so that he could carry her to the carpet.

She tore at his shirt, frantically undoing buttons and bringing her lips up to caress a small, hard nipple with her tongue.

He groaned and pulled his shirt off entirely.

He was thin, and carved out of lean muscle that made Eva whimper with anticipation. The lines by his hipbones drawing attention to the bulge in his trousers.

Eva reached out and grasped him through his pants, feeling him twitch against the palm of her hand. The tightness in her abdomen quivering at the sounds he made.

Scorpius pushed her down with fervent kisses until she was lying on her back, with his hand between her legs.

Eva shuddered as his fingers pushed past her thong and traced the outside of her opening, clearly waiting for a sign that she wanted him to stop or continue.

She bucked her hips up into his hand and bit his lip a little harder than she had intended.

He made a noise in the back of his throat and slid his finger inside of her.

Eva gasped and arched into him, momentarily blinded by the pleasure building inside of her. She reached down between them and found the button on his trousers, pulling at it until it gave way and allowed her to snake her hand under the waistband of his boxers. She tangled her fingers in the coarse golden hair between his legs, straining to find him. Never had she wanted someone inside her like the way she wanted Scorpius.

He slid his finger out of her and allowed her to sit up enough to pull the rest of his clothes off.

Eva pushed herself to her knees and pressed against him until his cock was flat against her stomach. She kissed him until he growled and pushed her urgently back into the carpet.

She trembled as his fingertips slipped her panties down and off her legs.

Scorpius pushed himself between her thighs, the head of his penis pressing against her.

 _I don't think he will be able to feel anything, but just in case…_

Eva looked into his eyes and forced the words out, "I'm not completely innocent but, this…," her voice wavered and threatened to die completely, "This I haven't done."

Scorpius' eyes widened slightly.

Eva wrapped her legs around him, the alcohol fueling her bravery, "I'm still not asking you for anything, Scor."

Scorpius' eyes flickered over her face, the firelight catching his hair and making it look like spun gold.

Eva leaned towards him and pressed her lips to his, breathing in Firewhiskey, sweat and pine.

Scorpius kissed her back, gently at first and then more passionately, shifting his weight so that he was over top of her.

She reached between them and grasped his shaft, placing it at the right spot and using her legs to guide him inside.

He didn't need much encouragement to push into her.

Eva shivered as Scorpius filled her, pain mixing with pleasure. She knew enough to know that he was bigger than average, though she supposed it had something to do with his height. It wasn't as painful as she had expected, but she could feel her body straining to accommodate him.

"Okay?" He breathed, his voice raspy.

Eva nodded and kissed him, shifting her hips to settle him more firmly inside of her.

Scorpius hissed as he slid out of her and back inside for the first time, his body quivering with the effort of going slow.

Eva wrapped her arms around his shoulders, moving herself in time with his thrusts, the pleasure inside her coming rushing back, "Oh, wow." She bucked her hips against his, the little trills of pleasure building as she rubbed against him.

Scorpius suddenly growled and rolled her over so that she straddled his hips. "Sorry," he breathed, "don't trust myself."

Eva let out a not so quiet moan as the new angle made stars spin in the corners of her eyes. She began moving her hips back and forth, searching for the release her body craved. She found his hand and pressed it against the lower section of her stomach, whimpering as his thumb found her clit. She guided him for a few minutes until he understood what she wanted.

The ring around her neck thumped against her chest with each rock of her hips.

Scorpius began to move underneath her, the two of them working together until Eva felt her body tense, and then succumb to ripples of pleasure that threatened to consume her entirely. She gasped as he bucked into her, causing the waves of pleasure to spike as he found his own release. His moan was like fire against her skin.

She collapsed on top of his chest, with him still inside her. She felt his arms wrap around her and roll them both onto their sides so that he slipped out of her, spilling his seed on the carpet. He tucked her head against his chest and rubbed her back with lazy circles.

Eva kissed his collarbones, not knowing what to say. She had never felt more vulnerable or more powerful in her life. It was as if they had just stripped away each other's skin and laid everything bare.

"Are you okay?"

Eva looked up as Scorpius pushed himself away enough that he could look at her. His lips were slightly swollen from her kisses, and sweat slicked his hair back.

She smiled, "More than okay."

He smiled softly, kissing her forehead.

She laughed, "I didn't think the first time would be so good." She bit her lip, "Was your first time like this?"

His looked away.

Eva felt her cheeks flush, "Sorry, you don't have to tell me. I was just wondering."

He sighed and looked back at her, "No, it's not that. It's just," He exhaled and nibbled his bottom lip, "It's just that, well, that was my first time."

Eva's lips parted in shock, "W-What?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I mean, I've done other stuff… But not that."

Eva kissed him, unable to suppress an unexpected wave of tenderness.

"Should I have told you before?" he asked, tilting his head.

Eva smiled, "No, I'm just surprised, that's all."

He grinned, "I'll take that as a compliment."

Eva laughed, it was so rare to see him react to something like the teenage boy he was.

After a minute she continued, "Why didn't you and Marie? I would have thought… Well to be honest I would have thought you guys started doing it ages ago."

"I know guys aren't supposed to be choosy about getting laid," he ran his fingers through his hair, "but I hate her, Eva. It's hard to want to be inside of her." He snorted, "Though I suppose I had better get over that if I want to be a convincing boyfriend."

Eva felt like a rock had dropped onto her chest, "I'm sorry."

He took a breath and looked at her, "Don't be."

Eva nuzzled the patch of pale hair between his pecks, trying to push Marie and her hatefulness out of her mind.

Suddenly the letter popped into her head, and with it a realization.

"That's why Al looked at the note funny."

"Hmm?"

Eva sat up and looked at him, "The dress. It was from you."

 _The writing on the letter matched the writing on the card. Why didn't I see it before?_

Scorpius shrugged, "So?"

Eva stared at him, confused, "Why did you get me a dress?"

His gray eyes narrowed, as if he was considering whether or not to answer her, "Because I overheard you telling Albus that you didn't have one, and I knew it wouldn't occur to the idiot to get you one."

"Rose said that dress was from Paris."

He arched his eyebrows and smirked, "Weasley has got better taste that I thought."

"How did you get me a dress from Paris?"

He snorted, "It was definitely a bit short notice, I'll give you that."

She glared at him.

Scorpius sighed, "I wrote my mum and she picked it up."

Eva bit her lip, "You got your mum to go get me that dress from Paris?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "Don't make a big deal out of it, Ev. This is why I didn't tell you."

Eva rested her head on her knees, thinking about what Rose had said about the dress being expensive.

"Stop it, Ev. I got you the dress because I knew you didn't have one, and because you're beautiful and I wanted you know it. Plus, I had been to Scylla in the summer with my parents and my mum saw me looking at that dress. I told her I just liked the fabric, but she knew I was thinking about someone when I saw it. When I wrote her and asked her to pick it up, she remembered which one I meant."

"How do you know my middle name?"

"Do you know mine?"

She didn't hesitate, "Hyperion."

He smiled, "There you go. You're not the only one who pays attention."

He pulled her back down so she was lying on his chest again, his heartbeat acting as an echo to her own.

Eva nibbled the inside of her cheek, suddenly wondering if it was more than alcohol and familiarity that had brought them together for the night.


	16. Chapter 16: Debris

_**PLEASE READ THIS NOTE:**_ _The lovely_ _ **JeyDee**_ _caught a mistake! When Scorpius wrote the letter to Eva in the last chapter and explained the functioning of the rings, I was thinking about them using them outside of Hogwarts, and completely forgot to include the Hogwarts Apparition clause. I have gone back and added that to the letter, but will briefly explain here in case you don't want to go back:  
The rings can guide the wearers to one another through most major charms, but Hogwarts is still too thoroughly protected for Scor's ring and Eva's copy to allow them to Apparate within Hogwarts. When they are in Hogwarts, the heating of the rings signals their wanting to meet, and then that they will find a reason to hang back after Goodwin's D.D.A class. More about the rings will be explained in this chapter, but please let me know if something isn't making sense and I will fix it/explain better. Thank you again, JeyDee!_

 _Copyright: I have some song lyrics used in this chapter. It is Edge of Town by Middle Kids._

 _ **Ok, no one actually has to read these notes (but you can *nudge*)**_

 _Huge thank you to everyone who is reading The Old Fight. Your reviews and views absolutely make my day. This chapter is a bit longer than usual – I had a ton to fit in! Also, I am going to be at sea for about a week, and I don't think the merpeople will have wifi for me_ _I promise to update as soon as I get back! Hopefully the few extra thousand words in this chapter makes up for it.  
I also have a favour to ask! Could you guys help with the little write-up/summary thing that all the fics have? The one I have right now sucks… Anyone have any suggestions for what I should put there? I'm terrible at summaries. _

_**Sam,**_ _so glad you enjoyed the latest chapter! Thank you for reviewing again, I do a happy dance every time_

 _ **JeyDee**_ _, lol you have that right! Nothing stays quiet for long… As far as the Apparition goes, I think I might have done a poor job with that sentence. She did black out in the hallway, not Apparate. Sorry it wasn't clear! There is still none of that allowed in Hogwarts! ….OMG and so there is a huge problem with how I explained the rings! Oops lol, I was thinking in outside Hogwarts world when Scorpius wrote that letter. Huge thank you for catching this._

 _ **Zauberlehrl1ng**_ _, thank you for the favourite! I am so glad you're liking my fic._

 _ **HPDWTWD**_ _, *laughs* omg, best review ever. I am so glad you liked the chapter! That's my first ever attempt at a full-on hot n'heavy scene…So I am glad it didn't suck (I was so worried). I also love that you've been rooting for the get down since that day in the library. Let me know if you like the bit from Scorpius' perspective!_

 _Aaaaaaaaaaand finally, welcome to_ _ **Melissaella13**_ _! Thank you for following, lovely. *hands drink with thirteen fancy umbrellas*_

* * *

 **Ch 16. Debris**

Eva groaned as James slid his arms under her armpits lifted her to her unceremoniously to her feet. The young Auror had found her nestled in a stairwell, trying to go to sleep.

"Come on, Ev. You can't sleep here."

Eva shook her head, refusing to support her own weight. After her and Scorpius had gone their separate ways, Eva had gravely overestimated her ability to tackle stairs. The best, and only course of action she could see, involved her sleeping exactly where she was until the world stopped spinning.

 _I officially understand why people vomit now. I want to vomit._

"Merlin, Eva. Come on, let's go. You do not want one of the professors to find you like this. You'll have detention for a month."

She felt James' arms under hers again, and the floor did a dramatic heave to the left.

 _Never mind. Don't want to vomit on James. Stay inside boozey booze._

Eva leaned back into the wall for support, gripping the wall with her fingers, "I'll move in a minute. You go."

James sighed and shook his head, "Yeah, no chance."

She watched him bend down and pick up her shoes in one hand and then, to her surprise, scoop her up into his arms with a grunt. Eva swallowed as her stomach heaved, clearly struggling to adjust to being airborne. James' forearm slid up and under her knees, his other arm resting behind her upper back so that she curled into his chest.

 _No puke._

She closed her eyes and tried to focus on something other than her nausea.

 _1, 2, 3, 4, 5_

 _Gonna puke._

 _No._

 _5, 7, 8…_

James' laugh jolted her back into reality, "Good thing you're a tiny snippet of a girl, Ev. I've got a lot of stairs to go up here."

 _I'll probably be even lighter if I hurl._

Eva squeezed her eyes shut again and willed her stomach to settle. She couldn't really remember where she had been when James had found her, only that she and Scorpius had determined that it would be bad if they were seen together. She wondered if he was getting to his common room alright. He certainly didn't have anyone to carry him to bed.

 _Ha, bed. You had sex. On a carpet. With Scorpius Malfoy. In an unlocked classroom._

Eva burst into laughter.

"Shh! This doesn't look particularly good for either of us, Ev." James pleaded, starting the climb up the final staircase before the common room.

Eva subdued her giggling, "Sorry."

James sighed, "All good." His breathing slowed as they arrived on the landing, "What was so funny anyways?"

Eva bit her lip, honestly considering telling him the truth, but deciding against it at the last minute, "I don't remember."

James shook his head, "What on earth made you drink this much, Ev?"

 _It felt good to be stupid and happy._

Eva shrugged, "Peer pressure."

James snorted, "I thought you of all people would be above that."

"Thought so too. Guess not."

They reached the portrait and James cleared his throat, jolting the Fat Lady out of her stupor.

 _Do portraits actually sleep?_

"Aconite," James said hurriedly.

The Fat Lady's eyes snapped open, making Eva suspect she had been pretending to be asleep in the first place.

"What on earth do you think you're doing with that girl, young man? Carrying her like a sack of flour, you are!" the Portrait squawked.

 _She sounds like someone's gran._

James flashed the portrait his most charming smile, "Oh come on, ma'am. I'm carrying her like a princess!"

Eva's head lolled back as she looked at the Fat Lady, "I'm a drunk princess."

The Fat Lady frowned, "Well, I am not sure I should be letting this fellow inside with you then," she eyed James suspiciously, "Prince Charming or not."

Suddenly realizing what the Fat Lady was worried about, Eva began to giggle.

 _Little late for protecting my virtue, and James didn't want it anyways._

James shushed her impatiently, "Please just let me get her inside. I'll come right back out."

The Fat Lady sighed, "Well, I won't pretend I haven't overindulged before… You do seem like a nice boy..." She swung aside, "Be more careful with your liquor next time."

 _Indeed._

Eva closed her eyes, she could feel James carrying her through the portrait hole and then up towards the girls' dorm. Before she knew it, he was setting her down on her bed.

 _Finally sleep._

Eva rubbed her face and fought with the hem of her dress. The fabric had twisted around her while James was carrying her, and she suddenly felt trapped.

Hogwarts' gravitational pull seemed to shift violently to the right, and Eva toppled sideways.

 _Never. Drinking. Again._

The dorm room was still on an angle and her stomach felt like it was trying to escape.

Seizing fistfuls of her dress, Eva yanked the green velvet up and over her head, savouring the cool air on her skin. Eva didn't care that James was right there. She didn't think she would care if the whole school was watching. She was uncomfortable, drunk and cranky. She wanted to sleep.

Moaning, she flopped down on top of the covers.

James sighed and found her pajama top on the end of the bed, pulling her gently to a wobbly seat and popping it over her head.

Eva stayed limp as a ragdoll, too tired to protest as each of her arms were pulled through a fuzzy sleeve.

Once the pajama top was on, James pulled the covers out from under her and tucked her in.

Eva nuzzled the soft pillow before cracking an eyelid and peering up at James.

"James?"

"Yes?"

"Are you my brother?"

A flicker of understanding warmed his brown eyes, and he ruffled her hair gently.

"Always. Now get some sleep, Ev."

* * *

O

* * *

Rose woke up just before dawn to the sound of retching in the bathroom.

 _Oh, Ev._

Eva's bed was empty, and a quick assessment was all she needed to determine that the other three girls were still in an alcohol infused sleep. Getting groggily to her feet, Rose pulled on a baggy jumper and made her way towards the noise.

Eva was huddled on the tile, her head resting on the toilet.

Rose winced. Eva's loose, cotton pajama top was sticking to her sweat soaked skin. Last night's make up had blurred around her eyes, leaving her looking like a raccoon.

"Don't. Say. Anything," Eva ground out, vomiting into the toilet again.

Rose took a seat on the cool floor, pulling Eva's sweaty blonde hair away from her face and rubbing her back. The smell of sick made her eyes water.

Eva hurled up more bile, her whole body shaking.

"Just get it out," Rose murmured, reaching up to flush the toilet.

Eva put her cheek back on the toilet seat and closed her eyes, "I can't believe how awful this feels."

Rose nodded, "I bet. How much did you drink?"

Eva shuddered and shook her head, "No clue. I don't remember a ton, to be honest."

Rose narrowed her eyes suspiciously as Eva's eyes widened and her skin paled.

 _She clearly remembers something she's not happy about._

"Oh god," Eva lurched forward and emptied more sick into the bowl.

Rose flushed the toilet again and gave Eva's back another rub, "What happened?"

"Oh fuck," Eva moaned, resting her head heavily on the toilet seat.

Rose sighed as Eva's curses turned into another round of vomiting, "I'm going to get you some water."

She quickly transfigured one of the many hairbrushes residing in the bathroom into a glass.

"Where did you go after James came by? Al, Cassie and I all tried to find you," Rose asked, fulling up the cup and bringing it over.

Eva flushed the toilet, "No clue. Can you help me into the shower?"

Rose nodded, and went to turn on the water, running her hand under the flow until it warmed up enough that it was cool, but not so cold that Eva would freeze. Eva stumbled into the stall with her pajama top still on and tipped her slender neck back, allowing the water to sweep her hair away from her throat.

Eva's neck was speckled with two small, but distinct, love bites.

 _Dragon balls._

"Ev?" Rose asked cautiously.

Eva grunted from under the flow of water.

"Where you with someone last night?"

"Huh?"

"You've got some…suggestive marks on your throat.

Eva groaned and stuck her head back under the water.

 _Oh boy._

The small blonde girl slowly slid down the wall until she was sitting cross-legged above the drain, makeup running down her pale cheeks.

Rose took a seat on the floor in front of the open shower, ignoring the droplets of water splashing off her friend's skin. She reached into the shower and plucked the shampoo off the floor, lathering her hands rubbing them in Eva's dirty hair.

"Do you remember, Ev?"

Eva leaned her head into Rose's hands, "Yeah. Some…" she paused, licking water off her lips, "Some Hufflepuff seventh year. We, we fooled around in a broom closet."

Rose nodded, fighting back the urge to make Eva define 'fool around.' She massaged the soap into the hair by Eva's temples, "So it was consensual?"

Eva huffed, "Very consensual and very… unexpected."

Rose suppressed a sigh of relief and began rinsing the shampoo out of Eva's hair, "Do you remember his name?"

Eva laughed, "How bad will it sound if I say no?"

"I'm not here to judge, Ev. You can shag the whole school if that's what you want to do. All that matters to me is that you're all right."

Eva smiled grimly, "I'm fine. Though, I don't think I'll be drinking for some time."

Rose snorted, "No kidding. I may not by heaving my guts out, but I feel like the Whomping Willow had a go at my head… And I'm pretty sure my pores are leaking Firewhiskey."

Eva shifted her bum to the far side of the shower, "You might as well hop in. Your pajamas are soaked anyways."

Rose laughed and slid herself under the water, shutting the shower door behind them.

The two girls sat side by side and let the cool water run down their faces. Rose smiled, it was like they were in a tiny rain forest.

Eva's voice broke through the rain sounds.

"So how was your night?"

Rose sighed, thinking back to her evening and the clumsy fumble with Luka in his dorm.

 _Complete shit._

"Not great."

Eva nodded, "Trouble with Luka?"

Rose laughed, "I can't hide anything from you, can I?" combing her fingers through damp curls, she added, "Is that part of being a Seer?"

"No, but it is part of living with someone for almost six years."

"If that was true, I'd be able to read you a lot better than I can," Rose sighed.

Rose felt Eva lean into her shoulder, and she couldn't help but feel a little surge of sadness at her friend's silence.

 _Because it's true isn't it? You're keeping things from me, and probably from yourself too._

"Are you going to break up with him?"

Rose sighed, "Yeah, I am. I just don't feel the same way as he does, and now I am starting to worry that I never did… I think I was just caught up in the experience, and the idea of loving someone. After the Dementor attack…"

"He's not a fighter."

"And why is that a bad thing? Why do I need that?" Rose growled, rubbing the water out of her eyes.

"Because you're the daughter of warriors," Eva said, "and because you're lioness."

* * *

Rose stuffed her fourth chocolate frog into her mouth, tossing the card aside. She saw Uncle Harry enough without having him staring back at her in miniature.

 _Well, it could have been worse._

 _Could it?_

Luka had not taken the break-up well. Not only had he seemed completely surprised, but he had actually tried to convince her to change her mind…and then cried when it became apparent that she wouldn't. She wasn't a believer in the "it's not you, it's me" speech, though she was now wondering if that would have been a better route than honesty.

 _I can't believe he cried._

She tore off the wrapper of another frog, not bothering to look at the card this time. She didn't want her parents staring at her either.

"Rose, do you maybe think you should hold off on the chocolate for a bit?"

Rose narrowed her eyes at her cousin.

Unlike almost everyone else above third year, Albus looked perky and well-rested. His green eyes sparkled with amusement as Rose discarded another wrapper.

"No I don't," Rose snapped through a mouthful of chocolate, "I'm hungover and apparently heartless."

Albus snorted, "You're not heartless, Rose. And," he gestured at Eva, "you can hardly say you're hungover with pukey right here."

Eva groaned and looked up from a large bowl.

Rose winced sympathetically. She and Al had made the mistake of forcing some solid food on Eva at breakfast… and she had been puking since the Hogwarts express left the station.

Rose watched in surprise as Cassie began rubbing Eva's back in calming circles, an oddly sisterly gesture for the Slytherin. In fact, Rose noted, Albus' girlfriend had been uncharacteristically warm to Eva since the Ball. It wasn't that the girl had ever been unfriendly, she just wasn't the most affectionate person Rose had met.

"Hey, it could be worse, Ev. You could have puked in front of half your house… While your girlfriend screamed at you," Albus said, reaching out to pat Eva's trembling knee.

"Who did that?" Rose asked, looking at Al.

"Scorpius. He stumbled into the common room well after three… and man, was Marie ever pissed. She must have been waiting up just to rip him a new one."

Eva stiffened, and Rose inwardly prayed that her friend wasn't still susceptible to feeling sorry for the slithery bastard.

Albus leaned back into the bench, "She made it sound like he wasn't with her at the Ball at all."

Cassie gave Eva's back another gentle rub.

"Actually," Albus continued, "I think he stepped out on her."

Rose choked on a bite of chocolate frog, "What makes you think that?" She snorted, "And who in their right mind would bang Scorpiss?"

Eva threw up violently.

 _Merlin, the train is really doing a number on her. You'd think she'd be out of vomit by now._

Cassie vanished Eva's vomit and continued rubbing the other girl's back.

Albus stole one of Rose's chocolate frogs, "I helped him into the shower." He shrugged at Rose's narrowed eyes, "Dude was covered in vomit, there was no way I was letting him into the room. Anyways, he had some questionable looking marks on his collar bones." Albus exhaled, blowing messy black hair away from his face, "I didn't fancy asking him about it though."

"What are you, a thirteen year old girl?" Cassie snapped. "Stop gossiping. They were probably from Marie earlier in the evening."

Albus arched an eyebrow at his girlfriend, but shot Rose a look that clearly said 'that's the end of that.'

* * *

O

* * *

Eva flopped down on what used to be James Potter's bed. After her parents had died, James had happily removed all the Quidditch posters and old socks to make room for her few belongings. It still felt like James' room, but she appreciated the effort the Potters had made to help her feel at home.

Eva's stomach did a traitorous heave. She had spent the entire train ride vomiting, and had only just managed not to puke on the Floo home. Ginny Potter had taken one look at her and marched her straight upstairs and into bed.

Clearly Mrs. Potter had no trouble recognizing a hangover.

 _Least I don't have to pretend to be human._

Eva rolled over and took the steaming goblet from Ginny off the bedside table, eyeing it cautiously before taking a tentative sip.

It tasted like peppermint, dirt and chalk.

 _Could be worse. It could taste like wine. Or Firewhiskey._

 _Or Scorpius._

Eva groaned and hid her head under the pillow.

She had woken up before dawn with a crystal clear image of Scorpius Malfoy sprawled beneath her with his lips slightly parted and grey eyes wide and smoldering. She was pretty sure that single snapshot was burned into the back of her eyeballs for the rest of eternity.

The vomiting had come shortly after waking, along with the discovery of painfully carpet burned knees. Eva winced, remembering the state of the evening's underwear, which was still hidden away in her trunk.

Nothing could more strongly cooperate the patchy memory of her losing her virginity to Scorpius on the carpet than that black thong.

 _At least I didn't bleed. Though I think someone should have told me how long a guy's… stuff… stays up there before it decides to make its appearance again._

Eva nibbled the inside of her cheek, not sure if she was trying to piece the night back together in a comprehensible order, or block everything out entirely.

 _Does he even remember?_

She took another sip of the steaming potion. She had seen Scorpius on the way to the train, though she had done her absolute best to hide behind Albus in order to avoid him seeing her. He had looked even paler than usual, though otherwise well.

 _Sure looked a lot better than I did… Though he probably has more practice with alcohol._

Eva blushed, remembering him nibbling his lip as he told her it had been his first time too.

 _He was a virgin._

She felt a twinge of warmth between her legs and silently cursed herself, knotting her hands in her sheets and refusing to let them stray anywhere.

 _Fuck._

Eva looked up at the ceiling.

There were a lot of holes in the evening. She remembered drinking in the dorm, but not how she got down to the dance floor, or how she had ended up in the classroom with Scorpius after James had criticized her. She didn't even remember kissing Scorpius, though she figured she had considering the memory of her looking down at his bare chest.

The soreness between her legs and the state of her underwear definitely meant they had sex, and she was pretty sure she remembered him being inside her… Though not as well as she wished.

The heat between her legs quivered and she snaked her hands between her thighs without thinking.

"Eva, are you still awake?"

Eva snatched her hand back on top the covers, her cheeks stinging with embarrassment, "Yes, Mrs. Potter. Come in."

Ginny poked her head through the door, her red hair falling in a smooth curtain down either side of her face. Both James and Lily had inherited her warm brown eyes.

"Feeling any better?" Ginny asked, a slight chuckle rolling beneath her question.

Eva sighed, "The drink helped."

"You can thank Grandma Weasley for that one," Ginny sat down on the bed and looked at her, "Albus mentioned that you don't usually drink?"

"No. That was the first time I've ever been drunk."

Ginny nodded slowly, "I know I'm not your parent-

"You're the closest think I've got, Mrs. Potter," Eva interrupted.

 _She has every right to reprimand me._

The older woman smiled, "That means a lot, Eva. Harry and I love you very much, and I know Albus and James both think of you as a sister."

Eva nodded, fighting back unexpected tears.

"I'm not sure if your parents talked to you about drinking, but I want to make sure you understand that while it can make things easier… It often makes things harder the next day. I'm not telling you not to drink, Merlin knows I did, but remember to be careful, okay?"

"Yes, Mrs. Potter. I think I've learned my lesson."

Ginny nodded, eyes flickering to Eva's neck, "Has anyone talked to you about pregnancy prevention?"

Eva felt her cheeks ignite, "Y-Yes. I take the Birth Control Pill. It's a muggle thing."

"Has anyone talked to you about any wizarding methods?"

Eva could no longer meet Ginny's eyes, "No."

"Ah, okay. Well I am going to run you through a few more options then, okay?"

Eva nodded, "Mmhm."

Ginny laughed, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Relax, Eva. I've covered this with three children, you don't need to be embarrassed. There is an anti-contraceptive potion, which I know Rose and Hermione both take. Madame Pomfrey actually brews it at the school and a lot of girls, including Rose, go and take it from her once a month. You would be able to go see Poppy when you get back to school and let her know you would like to be on her list. It's fairly complicated to brew, so I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself, but it is one hundred percent effective against pregnancy. From what I know about the muggle birth control pill, the two methods are very similar. In addition to the potion, there is a spell you can perform right before the act itself that prevents pregnancy and disease. Though it isn't always effective, and sometimes it gets forgotten in the moment." Ginny pulled out a small golden charm from her pocket, "I personally prefer this method. It's a charm that wards against pregnancy, disease and also prevents your period."

Eva looked down to see a small, pea-sized circle in Ginny's palm.

"The catch is that you have to wear it all the time," Ginny peeled back the sleeve of her shirt, showing an identical charm looped on one of her bracelets. "I know Hermione doesn't allow Rose to use it because she doesn't believe in preventing the monthly cycle, and Rose is incapable of not losing jewelry. It's up to you if you think this method would work for you."

Eva held out her hand as Ginny dropped it into her palm.

"You hang on to this, that way you can decide. It works for about five years before the charm needs to be replaced. It takes one week to be fully effective. If you remove it from your body at any time, then you will be unprotected for however long the charm isn't on your person, and for a week after you put it back on."

Eva tried not to sound embarrassed, "T-Thank you, Mrs. Potter."

The older woman smiled and stroked Eva's hair, "I'm going to go and finish helping Harry with dinner. Come down whenever you're ready."

Eva sighed in relief as Ginny closed the door.

She wasn't usually uncomfortable discussing sex, but talking about it twelve hours after losing her virginity felt exceptionally awkward.

Eva pulled Scorpius' necklace out from under her clothes and fiddled with the thin chain until she found the tiny clasp, taking the anti-contraceptive charm and sliding on. The two rings slid together.

 _Well, now I can't take it off for two reasons._

 _Does wearing this mean I expect it to happen again?_

She ran her finger along the serpent ring, thinking about Scorpius. The two of them were supposed to be working together to pass information from the ranks of the Death Eaters to the Order of the Phoenix, not having sex.

 _Do I even like him?_

Eva drummed her fingertips against the gold band. There was no arguing that they had a certain gift for understanding each other, and that she missed him whenever he wasn't around.

 _But how did that turn into what happened last night?_

She had literally spent years explaining to Rose that she felt nothing towards Scorpius, that she wasn't even attracted to him. That they were just friends.

 _Clearly that's bullocks._

Yes, she was definitely attracted to him physically. With his sharp cheekbones, proud nose and dove grey eyes, he was an undeniably handsome wizard. Her mind shifted to the memory of his bare chest and she blushed.

 _With the body of a Greek God._

She let the ring drop back to her chest.

 _He has a girlfriend._

Even though his relationship with Marie was founded on the unconventional, Eva couldn't suppress a prickle of guilt. Technically, she had slept with some else's boyfriend.

 _It may be fake to him, but it isn't to her._

She took a deep breath and pushed herself off the bed, rummaging in her trunk for some clothes.

 _I don't even know how much he remembers, and honestly, I don't even know if it matters whether he remembers or not. We have a job to do._

Eva pulled off her robes and dug around in her truck for her favourite pair of worn jeans and pulled a warm hoodie over her bra. She looked in the mirror, frowning at the tired smudges under her eyes. She had a little bit more colour in her cheeks, but she still looked sick.

Sighing, she slipped out the door and padded down the hallway to the dining room. She needed to stop thinking about Scorpius Malfoy.

Harry Potter was standing at the stove while Ginny poured two glasses of wine. Lily was already sitting at the table, painting her nails a shimmery gold.

"How are you doing?" Harry asked, pulling a covered dish from the oven.

"Good," Eva smiled. She always enjoyed watching Mr. Potter cook as he did a lot of things the muggle way, "Can I do anything?"

"Can you and Lily set the table?" Harry asked.

Lily frowned, "I can't, my nails are wet."

Ginny snorted and waved her wand over her daughter's hands, "There. All dry."

Lily rolled her eyes and got up, "I'll get the dishes."

Eva hid a small smile and pulled open the drawers, grabbing enough cutlery for five. James was, as usual, staying in his London flat for work.

"Feeling any better?" Lily asked coyly, nudging Eva with a bony elbow.

Eva rolled her eyes at the youngest Potter's teasing, "Yes, thank you."

Albus appeared behind his sister, "Don't be a prat, Lils."

Albus had on a solar system t-shirt and pair of casual navy trousers, with the suspenders hanging lose at his thighs. Despite growing up in the muggle world, Eva liked the quirky element to wizard fashion. Other than the billowing robes and pointy hats, she thought it all looked like a casual take on steam punk. Overall, and despite some major differences, there was a lot of overlap between what muggles and wizards wore, especially in the younger generations. The only thing that seemed to be completely regulated to muggles was jeans.

"Nice of you to join us, Al." Ginny said, giving her youngest son a kiss on the cheek.

Albus rolled his eyes and took a seat at the table, "I was writing, Cass."

"Merlin, Al. You've only just said goodbye," Harry laughed, piling boiled potatoes on his son's plate.

Ginny elbowed her husband, "Yes, and it is good of him to write her." She narrowed her eyes pointedly, "I remember how certain boys didn't write their girlfriends for months at a time."

Harry scratched his nose and mumbled quietly, "Some boys were being hunted by Death Eaters."

Albus gave Eva a knowing look and cleared his throat, "Speaking of Death Eaters, when are you guys going to tell me what's been going on? You both dodged me in every letter."

A strained silence fell over the kitchen and Lily began picking at her nail polish.

Eva put some chicken on her plate so that she would have something to do with her hands. She wanted to know what was going on just as bad as Al did, but she hated the tension that filled the room every time Al took a swing for information.

"This really isn't the time, Al." Harry said quietly.

Eva stared at her chicken, giving it a little nudge with her fork. She could literally feel Albus steeling himself for battle.

"Well then when is the time, dad? Mum? I have been asking you guys almost every single day since we went back to Hogwarts. You guys spent all summer teaching us how to fight, and then you just cut us off."

"We weren't teaching you how to fight, we were teaching you how to defend yourselves," Harry responded stiffly.

"Same difference," Albus snapped.

"No, not same difference!" Ginny's voice sliced through the air.

Eva snuck a look up at Albus.

Her friend's green eyes were narrowed much like his mother's, and they were both leaning forward in their chairs as if ready to spring.

"Albus, do you really think we can tell you what is going on in letters?" Harry said tiredly, putting a calming hand on his wife's shoulder.

Eva looked up hopefully.

Albus leaned back in his chair, "So then tell me now."

"You have been home for three hours," Ginny snarled.

"So? I want to know!" Albus hissed, glaring at his mother.

Eva looked back at her chicken.

"Albus Severus Potter, we will all talk about this when your mother and I have decided it is the right time. Now eat your dinner before it gets cold," Harry said, looking at his son.

Eva swallowed, praying Albus would drop it, and knowing he wouldn't.

"No, that's ridiculous I've been wai-

"EAT YOUR DINNER!" Ginny shouted, flicking her wand so hard that the entire chicken soared onto Albus' plate, sending potatoes flying into his lap.

The entire table sat in shocked silence, staring at Ginny, until slowly, one by one, they all started to laugh.

Soon Harry was clutching his sides, "D-Did you mean for him to eat the whole chicken, dear?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes, clearly trying to swallow her own amusement, "Maybe I did."

"Well that's not fair!" Lily huffed, "Then I won't get any."

Eva grinned at Albus, who was scooping potatoes off his trousers. Even he was laughing.

* * *

Eva sat cross-legged on her bed, wrapping presents while Albus lay on the floor, scribbling in Christmas cards. The rest of dinner had gone fairly smoothly, though she knew Albus hadn't abandoned his efforts.

Al rolled over onto his back, "I can't believe mum makes me write a card for everyone. It's outrageous. How am I supposed to get these done in two days? That's one card for Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron, one for Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey, one for Uncle George and Aunt Angelina, one for Uncle Charlie and Uncle Neal, one for Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur, one for Grandma and Grandpa Weasley, one for Luna and Rolf, one for Neville and Hannah…" He trailed off, "That's eight Christmas cards. Thank Merlin dad doesn't make me write Uncle Dudley and Aunt Laurel. I can just sign the family card for that one."

Eva grinned, looking down at the pile of unfinished Christmas cards. She slid off the bed to pick one up, "What exactly is this you've depicted on the cover, Al?"

Albus glared at her, "It's a stocking."

"It looks like a gummy worm."

"I'm not allowed to buy cards," Albus huffed.

Eva giggled and lay down beside Albus, pulling a blank card towards her and picking up one of the many coloured pencils, "I think it's cute that your mum wants you to make all the cards the muggle way."

Albus groaned, "No, it isn't. To think, James is probably buying his in bulk while Lily and I slave away."

"Here," Eva began drawing a Christmas wreath on a blank piece of parchment, "I'm not a great artist, but I'm better than you."

Albus snorted, "No kidding. Man, this is one of those times I wish Scorpius hadn't turned into a complete prat."

Eva's heart kicked into high gear.

 _Jesus, calm down._

She poured her focus into drawing a few Christmas bobbles, shocked at her body's reaction to Scorpius' name. "Um, why do you say that?"

"He used to help me out with all these cards. The guy can draw. And I mean really draw." Al sighed, "Cassie can too actually, but she elected to let me suffer."

Eva carefully coloured a bobble, trying to sound casual, "Really? I didn't know that either of them could draw."

 _Why do you care that he can draw?_

Al shrugged, "Yeah. Their grandmother's a famous painter."

Eva bit the inside of her lip, confused as to why she cared that Scorpius had never told her he could draw, and even more confused as to why her heart was still pounding.

 _Is this because we're secretly working together… or because we had sex?_

 _Maybe both?_

She snapped the tip off the coloured pencil she was using at the same time as she felt Scorpius' ring grow hot against her skin.

 _Shit._

Eva looked at the clock. 11:42 pm.

If her heart was pounding before, it was positively frantic now. Fluttering against her sternum like hummingbird wigs.

"Um, Al?" she faked a yawn, "I think I might need to hit the sack soon."

Albus looked at the clock, "How time flies when you're having fun. We should definitely get to bed. We're probably gonna be leaving for Grandma and Grandpa Weasley's at dawn tomorrow, and Merlin knows mum is going to have us cleaning for hours." Al finished gathering all his card making supplies, "Goodnight, Ev. Happy eve before Christmas Eve."

Eva waited until Albus' footsteps disappeared down the hall before flying to her feet and turning off the all the lights in the bedroom.

She stood in the dark for a few moments before it occurred to her that she had never actually snuck out before, and had absolutely no idea what to do.

 _I should go out the window._

Eva eyed the window, it really did seem like the best option. Harry and Ginny often stayed up well past midnight, and she would have to go by both their bedroom and the living room to get to the front door.

 _Yes, definitely the window._

Eva pulled a pair of worn brown leather boots from her trunk and slipped them over her mismatched socks, lacing them up loosely. She looked in the mirror.

The same small girl stared back at her from shadowed blue eyes. Her jeans had far too many holes in them, and her hair hung wild above her shoulders.

Eva reached for a brush and then stopped herself.

 _Jesus, since when do you care how you look in front of Scorpius?_

She dropped the brush and pulled last year's Weasley jumper over her t-shirt. It was navy blue with a large yellow E on the front and two gold stars on each sleeve.

Eva consciously restrained herself from looking in the mirror and slid the window open quietly. Taking a quick look behind her to insure the door was locked, she grabbed her wand and hoisted herself up and onto the sill before carefully dropping down into the snowy front yard.

It was colder than she had expected.

Eva pulled the sleeves of her jumper over her hands and made her way onto the snowy street.

After growing up in Hackney, Eva was used to busy sidewalks, loud neighbours and watching her back at night. In contrast, Godric's Hollow was sleepy and idyllic, with beautiful old cottages lining cobblestone streets. The downside of course, was that the little town was virtually deserted at night, making her stand out.

She quickly turned the corner, making her way towards the cemetery at the end of the road.

Eva knew that it was a bit odd to choose a cemetery for their meeting place, but with the old stone and creeping lichen, she couldn't ignore the strange beauty of the place. She always felt safe there.

 _Plus, no one is going to bother two people in a cemetery._

She pushed past the creaking gate and made her way towards one of the many large, stone mausoleums. Brushing snow off the cracked steps, she took a seat and drew her wand from her pocket while pulling the ring out from under her clothes.

Pressing the tip of her want to the gold, she slowly heated the ring.

Scorpius appeared almost instantly, wearing a handsome black coat done up to his chin. His grey eyes looked silver in the moonlight.

Eva felt her heart begin to pound again.

 _Does he remember?_

Scorpius brushed snow off the step beside her and took a seat, surveying their surroundings, "The Potters make you sleep in the cemetery?"

Eva forgot her nerves, "What? No. Of course not."

"Then why are you here?" He asked, arching his eyebrows.

"Because they've got wards on their cottage, I didn't want to alert the whole house to our arrangement."

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "The ring would protect me from that. You didn't need to go anywhere."

Eva narrowed her eyes, feeling silly, "Well how was I supposed to know that? You haven't exactly explained how these work. Plus, you told me they didn't work around the Hogwarts enchantments."

He sighed, leaning back on his elbows, "The wards at Hogwarts are too old and too layered. We would be able to bypass them if we had the true pair, but this copy can't do it."

Eva tilted her head, "True pair?"

Scorpius nodded, "Yeah, they're a set. My grandmother's ring is the true pair. It's actually where I got the idea. The two rings act as a bond between two people, and as long as they're wearing them they can never be separated. The pairing magic can split through any sort of charm, including the Hogwarts wards if it serves to unite the two wearers." He gestured to the ring around Eva's neck, "But that is just a copy of my grandfather's, so the magic isn't as strong. We should still be able to bypass standard wards and Fidelius Charms with these though."

"Wait, if your grandmother still has her ring… Then, isn't she feeling whenever we communicate?"

Scorpius shook his head, "No. She doesn't wear hers anymore, she just keeps on the table by her bed."

Eva fiddled with her wand as an uncomfortable silence descended.

"So, why did you want to meet?"

Scorpius looked at her, his face impassive, "I wanted to check in with you about the other night and… Make sure we were on the same page."

Eva swallowed, "So," she tried to control her voice, "you remember."

He looked away, running his hand through his hair, "Pieces. Enough."

"Now what?"

He looked at her, "I think we need to forget it happened."

Eva felt like he had slapped her, "You regret it."

Scorpius sighed, looking up at the star strewn sky, "No, Eva. I don't."

"Neither do I," Her voice was so quiet that she wondered for a second if he had heard her.

"It doesn't matter if we regret it or not, it can't happen again." He still wasn't looking at her, "It would be an easy way to expose myself. Memories of…" He trailed off for a moment, as if struggling to find the right words, "I'm good at Occlumency, but some memories are harder to shield than others."

Eva nodded, numbing herself, "Yeah, that's fine. We were drunk anyways, Scorpius. I wasn't expecting it to happen again."

 _Liar._

Scorpius sighed quietly, his breath stirring the falling snow, "I know, I just wanted to make sure we understood each other."

"So you haven't heard anything about any new attacks?" Eva asked, desperate to change the subject.

He shook his head, "No. Marie has been pretty careful around me lately, I really pissed her off the other night. I think it is going to take some time before she wants me around again."

Eva nodded, "You guys going to be okay?"

Scorpius brushed the snow off his trousers, "Yeah, she'll come around. But in the mean time we need to work on Occlumency."

Eva couldn't help the trepidation from sneaking into her voice, "You're really going to poke around in my head tonight?"

Eva shivered at the understanding in his eyes when he answered.

"No, Ev. Not tonight," His voice was quiet, barely a whisper.

She nodded and rolled her wand between her fingers, trying to suppress all the little flickering snapshots from their night together.

 _You're already in my head enough tonight._

His breath curled in the air, "Have you ever meditated?"

Eva looked at him in surprise.

"It's not just for muggles. It's an important part of Occlumency. Allowing thoughts to slip through your mind without affecting you aids in eventually controlling and altering them." He shifted his body closer to her, "I want you to work on meditating every night before you go to sleep. Don't try and control your thoughts, just work on letting them come and go without affecting you. Acknowledge them, but don't let them control you."

"Okay, I can do that."

Silence settled over them again, and Eva couldn't stop herself from asking, "Why didn't you tell me you could draw?"

He looked at her in surprise, "I didn't think it mattered."

 _I didn't either, but it does._

Eva shrugged, "I would have liked to see some of your drawings."

Scorpius smiled, "Well I would have liked to hear you sing more often."

"How do you know I can sing?"

"I heard you that time in the Library, when you let me listen to your muggle magic."

Eva bit the inside of her lip, "Oh. I had forgotten about that."

"Really? I don't think I could ever forget."

Eva looked up, startled at the intensity flickering in his stormy eyes. He was looking at her like he was afraid to stop, like if he broke away she would disappear. She shivered, unable and unwilling to break contact. She was caught in the energy quivering around him and the last thing she wanted was to escape. He leaned in a little, and Eva realized that he was heartbeat away from kissing her.

The call of a nearby owl startled them back into reality, acting as a shield between their lips.

Scorpius sighed and looked away from her, surveying the cemetery with tired eyes.

 _Back in control._

"I should get back," his voice was crisp and even again, no shadow of passion discernible.

Eva took a quivering breath, unable to speak for fear of telling him to stay. To forget the interruption and touch her.

He turned and looked at her, reaching out and brushing snowflakes from her hair. The heat from his breath melting the ice crystals caught in her eyelashes.

She knew he wouldn't slip up again.

"Merry Christmas, Eva."

"Merry Christmas, Scorpius."

* * *

O

* * *

Rose pressed her nose into the kitchen table, hoping that if she stayed still enough, her grandmother might forget she was there. Rose, Hugo, Albus, Lily and Eva had been cleaning for almost four hours. She had no idea why it was always her and the Potters who ended up helping scrub the Burrow before every family gathering, leaving the rest of her cousins to swoop in right before dinner.

"Jeez, I hardly recognized you, Rosie."

Rose looked up to see Teddy Lupin standing in the doorway, a bag of Christmas presents under his arm. As always, he looked considerably younger than twenty-four. She wasn't sure if it was his slight build, or the tangle of messy blue hair, or the stretchers in his ears, but it was hard to imagine he had just returned from six months overseas working with dragons.

"You, on the other hand, look the exact same," Rose quipped.

His hair turned a vibrant shade of green and his hazel eyes flickered into gold.

"I do?"

Rose rolled her eyes, "I like the blue better, green makes you look ill."

Teddy dumped the pile of presents on the table and took a seat beside her, his hair turning back into tousled navy waves, "Whata 'bout the eyes?"

Rose surveyed his face, "I like them. Very wolfish-be-sexy. Rita Skeeter would be proud."

"Great, that's exactly what I need," Teddy laughed.

"She actually wrote a column on your dragon taming. Apparently your roguish, danger-chaser career has been quite a hit with the middle-aged divorcés." She grinned, "I think she used the word 'edible' actually. Lily saved the article for your Christmas present."

Teddy groaned, "Bet Victoire loved that."

Rose winced, she knew her cousin was having a hard time with Teddy's decision to work overseas so much. Thankfully she was saved from talking about Victoire by the appearance of Eva.

"Hey Teddy."

Rose grinned and made room for Eva at the table. Her friend's hair was a dusty, pale pink.

"Teddy inspire you?" Rose asked, touching Eva's shaggy bob.

"Nope, though you do look lovely, Teddy." Eva said sweetly before continuing, "James just got back from his Concealment and Disguise exam."

Teddy nodded appreciatively, "It's a little subtle for my taste, but I like it."

Eva laughed, "We can't all rock electric blue."

Teddy reached out and sprung one of Rose' curls, "Should we do yours next Rosie?"

"I prefer my luscious locks o'natural, thank you."

Teddy grinned, "Good call, you're perfect as is."

Rose rolled her eyes, Teddy was always a bit of a flirt. It was one of the things that drove Victoire nuts, even if everyone knew he would never be unfaithful.

Eva pushed herself away from the table, "I actually came to get you, Rose. Your mum wants us to dig out some of the old dishes from the shed. She's afraid to summon them for fear of sending everything else toppling."

Rose groaned, her grandfather's shed was bordering on a hazardous space.

"Alright, see ya later, Teddy."

"You bet, Rosie. Nice to see you again, Eva."

Rose and Eva began bundling up in their winter things before making their way out into the snowy yard. The Burrow was completely covered in snow, but the winter sun was somewhat warm on her cheeks.

"So, Teddy calls you Rosie?"

Rose looked at Eva, narrowing her eyes at the slightly suggestive look on her friend's face, "Yes, he always has."

"No one else does."

Rose sighed, "I know what you're getting at, Ev, but he's just a flirt."

Eva arched her eyebrows, "He has never flirted with me."

"Ha," Rose scoffed, "That's because he knows James would cut his balls off. You're as much James' baby sister as Lily is. Plus," she added with a laugh, "He's like seven years older than me. And he's been with Victoire for almost four years. Everyone thinks they're going to get married."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Eva shook some snow out of her boot, "apparently things aren't going so well for them."

Rose stopped walking in surprise, "What? No way."

Eva nodded, "Yeah, Al was telling me that she was pretty pissed about him taking that job with your Uncle Charlie in Romania. She wanted to get married before he left, and he said no."

Rose's jaw dropped, "He said _no_?"

"Yeah, I guess she got sick of waiting for him to ask… So she brought it up."

Rose whistled, "How do you know all this? She's supposed to be my cousin."

"Teddy told James, and James told Al."

"And Al told you."

Eva winced, "Ech, and now I'm telling you. Gossip train."

Rose rolled her eyes, "Don't feel bad. There's officially no one left for me to tell."

"You've got like a million more family members."

"Fine, there is no one left that I a _ctually_ talk to." Rose began walking towards the shed again, "Merlin, I can't believe he said no."

Eva shrugged, "I can. He's only twenty-four, and she's twenty!"

Rose thought about it for a minute, "I don't know. Mum and dad got married at twenty-four, Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny got married at twenty-one and twenty-two… Grandma and Grandpa Weasley got married at seventeen."

Eva choked, "What?! Holy smokes. Muggles don't usually do that unless someone is pregnant."

"Yeah, and your divorce rate is ridiculous."

"Do wizards not usually get divorced?"

Rose shook her head, "Honestly, not really. I don't know anyone who has been divorced. Mum thinks it has something to do with magic, we're just better at finding our partner."

Eva snorted, "Yeah, and you've got a tiny pool to pick from if you don't marry muggles. You guys can't really afford to be picky."

Rose squeezed into the shed, holding the door open for Eva, "True. But I really do think magic helps us find our pair."

* * *

O

* * *

Eva pressed into the back of the couch, trying to keep her hot chocolate from spilling all over her lap. The youngest Weasley cousins, Molly, Lucy, Fred and Roxanne were all running around playing tag with a Fanged Frisbee. At eleven, and freshly sorted into Gryffindor, Molly was loudly directing her younger sister and two cousins on the rules, which seemed to change every four minutes.

"No! The Frisbee actually has to bite for it to count!"

Angelina, Fred and Roxanne's mother, began shouting once the Frisbee spiraled into the empty wine bottles on the table.

"Fred! Roxanne! Get your scrawny buts over here, you were supposed to be in bed an hour ago!"

"No!" Roxanne wailed, "Daddy said we could stay up until Molly and Lucy went to bed!"

"Well Uncle Percy and Auntie Audrey went to bed two hours ago and they left me in charge, so get your asses into bed!" She looked at her husband, "Little help here, George."

George Weasley rolled his eyes and got to his feet, scooping up Roxanne and Lucy by their legs so that they hung upside down. Fred quickly jumped on his father's back.

Eva giggled and the four young kids were shuffled off to the bed, leaving just the older cousins and the adults.

Ron and Bill were hunched over a battered chess set, while their brother Charlie and his husband Neil watched. Victoire and Dominique were laying beneath the Christmas tree, exchanging secrets in hushed whispers, while their brother Louis snored softly in an armchair. Hermione was helping Audrey wrap a few last minute presents now that the younger kids were in bed, and Harry chatted with Teddy's grandmother Andromeda in front of the roaring fire. Even with half the family in bed, it was still more crowded than her apartment had ever been.

Eva smiled and brushed Rose's hair back from her face. Her friend had fallen asleep on the couch beside her, with her long brown legs stretched across Albus' lap.

"Should we try and hover her into bed?" Eva asked, looking at Albus.

Al shook his head, "Nah, last time I tried to do that I smacked her head on the door frame."

Eva laughed, "Maybe we can get James to carry her."

"What am I? Your scrawny great grandpa?" Albus scoffed, sliding out from under Rose's legs.

Eva watched with a smile as Albus scooped his arms underneath his cousin and heaved her up against his chest. It was true, Albus had grown a lot in the last year. He wasn't as broad as James, but he was taller than both his brother and his father.

"Damn, she's heavier than I thought," Albus huffed.

Eva giggled, all the Quidditch had made Rose quite muscular, and her friend was only three or four inches shorter than Albus.

"Better get going then," Eva joked, gesturing at all the stairs.

"Dragon balls," Albus laughed, dropping Rose in a heap on the couch.

Rose let out an indignant squawk and sat up, looking murderous, "What was that for, Al?"

Albus grinned, "Well I was trying to be nice and carry you to bed… But you're actually pretty heavy."

"Just like that time you tried to be nice and almost brained me on a doorframe?" Rose growled.

Albus shrugged, "I should probably stop trying to help out, hey?"

Rose climbed to her feet and shot Albus a dirty look, "I better get myself to bed before you try and help me again. You coming Ev?"

Eva yawned but shook her head, "Nah, I'm gonna stay up a little while longer. I'll try and be quiet when I come to bed,"

Rose snorted, "Why bother? You'll wake me up anyways with your never ending quest to steal all the covers."

"I'd rather share a bed with Eva than with James. At least Eva doesn't punch you in her sleep," Albus sighed, ruffling his hair.

"Yeah, but you snore, Al." James said from his spot on the couch, where his girlfriend Crystal was curled up asleep on his lap.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wouldn't let Crystal stay in the same bed overnight as James, which Eva thought was ridiculous considering no one thought for one minute that they were saving themselves until marriage. Nonetheless, Crystal was sharing a room with Dominique and Victoire, and James was sharing a room with Albus, Hugo and Teddy.

 _Maybe that's why they all get married at twenty._

Eva smiled to herself, glad it no longer bothered her that James was seeing Crystal.

"Eva may not kick in her sleep, but Lily sure does," Rose huffed, before climbing up the stairs to where the youngest Potter would already be asleep.

Eva stretched out on the couch, resting her head on Albus' shoulder and surveying the Potter-Weasley clan. To her surprise, she realized she felt like she was home. She bit her lip, forcing thoughts of previous Christmases from her mind, "I'm happy to be here."

Albus gave her a squeeze, "I'm glad you're here too, Ev."

Eva nestled deeper under Albus' arm, "Did your parents tell you anything else about what's going on? I saw you and your dad arguing this morning."

"Sort of. He," Albus sighed, "He told me that they were losing."

Eva looked up in surprise, "What?"

Al nodded, "They really can't catch them, Ev. Right now the Death Eaters are pretty busy killing off anyone who renounced Voldemort after '98… But dad is afraid that once they finish that they'll move on to known Order members, and bigger wizarding community targets like they did with Hogsmeade."

He sighed, looking at his dad, and Eva was suddenly reminded of Albus' Boggart in fifth year. She reached out and took his hand, "He's gonna be okay, Al. He's strong, and he's done this before."

"This is different, with the Death Eaters sneaking around in the dark. How are we supposed to catch an enemy that doesn't stay long enough to fight?"

 _By having a spy._

"I don't know, but we'll figure it out."

Albus nodded, his green eyes reflecting the firelight.

Eva wanted nothing more than to protect him and the family that had done so much for her.

 _Just give me a little time, Al._

Eva stood up and kissed Albus' cheek, "Goodnight, Albus Severus."

Albus smiled and gave her hand a little squeeze before falling back into the couch, staring into the fire behind his father.

Eva's heart ached.

 _Another boy forced to fight the battle his father left him._

She made her way up the stairs, her mind turning over images of Albus and Scorpius, both crushed under the weight of legacy. They both looked so much like their fathers but, from what she could tell, only one of them had more than a physical resemblance.

Eva turned away from the bedroom she shared with Rose and Lily and made her way towards the make-shift Owlry at the end of the fifth floor. She had carried Scorpius' Christmas present around in her pocket all evening, not sure if she should send it. Something about her conversation with Albus had made her desperate for Scorpius to know…

 _To know what exactly?_

 _That I'm here._

Eva felt a twinge of guilt as she called Molly and Arthur Weasley's new owl. She hadn't asked if she could borrow it. The handsome barn owl was a Christmas present from Percy, and she knew that no one would recognize it as being a Weasley owl.

 _Plus, it should only take a few hours to deliver._

Eva pulled a small, chestnut sized package from her pocket and began fastening it on the owl's foreleg. She looked into its amber eyes, "This is for Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy and no one else, okay?"

The owl blinked at her somberly.

She thrust open the window, revealing the chilly night sky.

* * *

 _*****Because we have the first bit from Scorpius' perspective coming up, I am going to shamelessly insert a song here (Grave Digger by Matt Maeson). This song is actually the inspiration behind Scorpius' perspective being included in my fic, so if you're at all interested in another window into Scor's personality, give it a listen!*****_

* * *

Scorpius Malfoy awoke before dawn, an image of Eva O'Connor fresh in his mind. He pushed himself up to a seat, untangling silk bed-sheets from his naked torso.

 _Can't you stay away for one night, Ev?_

He didn't remember much from the night of the Christmas Ball, just a few wavering snapshots of Eva's face and the delicate heat of her skin on his. But it was enough to know that they had lost their virginity to each other in front of the fire.

Every night since, his mind had tried to piece the evening back together through dreams.

He ran his fingers through his hair and surveyed his dark room. There were no pictures on the walls, and bookshelves were the only thing covering the expensive juniper wallpaper.

Marie had given him a picture of them for their anniversary in September, but he kept it in his trunk when he wasn't in school. He didn't want to be reminded of the woman he was supposed to love but couldn't.

Scorpius leaned against the handsome, black oak headboard of his bed and began clearing his mind. Focusing on shedding his skin, becoming who he had to be. Pushing the dreams of Eva from his mind.

So far Regan Zabini had been the only one to try and breach his mind, but he knew that it would be a regular occurrence if they let him in any further. He would be tested every day before they told him their secrets.

 _And I will pass every test._

Opening his eyes he snatched his wand off the bedside table, running his fingers along the jet-black wood. Like many witches and wizards, one of his clearest memories was that of receiving his wand from Mr. Ollivander. But even in that moment, at eleven, he hadn't been able to escape his family's past allegiance. The old man had leaned in, whispering low in his throat so that his father couldn't hear,

" _Ebony and dragon heartstring. A powerful wand. The question is, Mr. Malfoy, what will you do with it?"_

Scorpius dropped his wand back on the table and swung his legs off the side of the bed, sitting for a moment before pushing himself to his feet. The cold air tickled his bare skin as he made his way to his closet, walking inside and picking up navy linen pajama bottoms from the floor.

He dressed quickly and made his way over to the large window seat, settling on the ledge and pulling a fur blanket over his legs. Insomnia was a regular factor in his life but, as a result, he hadn't missed a sunrise in over two years. He looked at the clock above his bed, there was still four hours between him and the Christmas morning sun.

Pulling a piece of parchment and a stick of charcoal from the drawer in the wall, he began to sketch absent mindedly. Allowing his memories to climb into the forefront of his mind, each clamoring to be immortalized in charcoal. He tossed a rough sketch of the Hogwarts express to the side, and allowed himself to draw what he wanted.

 _You'd think I'd get bored._

He sighed, allowing muscle memory to take over.

It took him almost two hours, but a perfect portrait of Eva stared back at him with laughing eyes. It had been a long time since he had seen her laugh like how he had drawn, but it wasn't something anyone could forget. Her whole face came alive with joy, blue eyes crinkling and sparkling like fireworks. She was laying beneath a Christmas tree in his picture, wearing the green velvet gown and looking up at him through blue spruce. The curve of her small breasts captured in a few quick strokes, along with the burns along her shoulders. He had added Lucius' ring, laying exposed on top of her dress.

It was perfect.

He reached for his wand, ready to burn the parchment, but a gentle tapping at the window alerted him to an unexpected observer.

An owl looked at him quizzically from its perch outside the widow.

Scorpius shook off his surprise, setting the parchment by his side and opening the window to allow the handsome barn owl to hop inside.

The owl eyed him suspiciously for a moment before sticking out its foreleg, revealing a small package and an even tinier note.

 _Scorpius,_

 _I heard this the other day and thought you would like it._

 _Say the kind of magic I showed you in the library that day. It will only play once._

 _Merry Christmas._

There was no name, but he didn't need one. The curve of the S in his name gave her away as easily to him as her whole name on the parchment would have.

He unwrapped the small package, revealing a white spiraled seashell. Lifting it up, he held it to his ear, knowing what was required.

"Muggle magic."

A steady beat drifted into his ear, and then a voice that reminded him strongly of Eva's.

" _I can remember_ _  
_ _Anything you say_ _  
_ _When the streets are talking_ _  
_ _Yeah, they call my name_ _  
_ _And I walk a little further_ _  
_ _I could go all day_ _  
_ _And the trees are reaching_ _  
_ _Pointing out the way."_

He smiled, feeling a warmth spreading through his fingers. There was something melancholy, but oddly hopeful about the tune she had sent him. She was right, he did like it.

 _"I got all muddled up and journeyed to the edge of town_ _  
_ _And then the road cracked open_ _  
_ _Sucked me in, then I went down_ _  
_ _Now standing face to face_ _  
_ _With the king of the underground_ _  
_ _Some things just don't add up_ _  
_ _I'm upside down_ _  
_ _I'm inside out._ _  
_  
 _I came a little closer_ _  
_ _To the truth that day_ _  
_ _I heard it's call_ _  
_ _In the alleyway_ _  
_ _And the one resounding answer_ _  
_ _That I could take_ _  
_ _Is that I don't know nothing_ _  
_ _And I got no way."_

Scorpius leaned back into his chair and listened to the chorus, allowing the music to take over. He could see Eva in his mind's eye, standing in front of an underground King that looked a bit like him.

" _Hey, guy, have you got something on your mind?_ _  
_ _Tick, tock, can I take it for a while_ _  
_ _Hey, guy, have you got something on your mind?_ _  
_ _Tick, tock, could I take it for a while._ _"_

He smiled, wondering how much of this woman's voice was meant for him, just like he had in the library that day.

" _Hey, guy, have you got something on your mind?_ _  
_ _Tick, tock, could I take it for a while._ _"_

As the song came to an end Scorpius curled the small shell into his palm, letting it absorb the heat of his hand and wishing the spell worked more than once.

He turned to the owl, "You still here to make sure I have something for her?"

The owl stared at him.

Scorpius sighed, "Well I don't. Spies aren't supposed to send their connection Christmas presents. Go home."

The owl stuck out its foreleg, making him chuckle.

"Persistent little bugger. Your name Weasley?"

Scorpius let his eyes drift to the picture he had drawn. He sighed and _Imperviused_ the parchment before tying it to the owl's leg, "You die before you surrender this to anyone but Eva, got it? And make sure she's alone."

The owl blinked and swooped back out the window, its golden plumage reflecting the sunrise's promising beginnings.

A soft knock at the door made him jump.

Astoria Malfoy's cinnamon brown head peaked into his room, "Scorpius? Are you awake?"

"Morning, mum. Merry Christmas."

Astoria made her way across the large bedroom to her only son, two cups of tea in her hands. She was wearing ballet slipper pink pajamas and had her long hair tied up in a casual bun.

Scorpius made room for his mother on the cushions and took one of the cups of tea from her slender hands.

She smiled at the golden ring on his finger, "It makes your grandmother so happy that you wear that, Scorpius."

He took a sip of his tea, "Mn, how is she this morning?"

His mother sighed, "Oh, you know. Tired. Old. A bit grumpy. Your dad is with her now."

Scorpius nodded. He knew Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy hadn't been a huge fan of the union between his parents. His mother was a pureblood, but that was pretty much the only thing they had liked about her. Astoria hadn't put up with any of the nonsense about pureblood superiority, and had made sure that no child of hers was poisoned by that sort of hate. He knew that his dad loved that about his mother, but it hadn't made family dinners any less uncomfortable. Things had gotten better since Lucius had died, and it had turned out that his grandmother was a lot less bigoted than her husband. Narcissa and Astoria seemed to have come to an unspoken truce.

"Drawing again?" Astoria gestured to the smudges on her son's hands.

Scorpius nodded.

"Can I see?"

Scorpius silently thanked the owl for relieving him of his artwork, "I tossed it. It wasn't any good."

"I highly doubt that, Scorpius. You're a wonderful artist."

Scorpius took another sip of his tea, "Thanks mum."

A sound at the door signaled the arrival of Draco Malfoy. He was already dressed in crisp trousers and a grey sweater that matched his eyes. Even Scorpius could see why everyone remarked on how much he looked like his father. They had the same strong nose, angular face, pointy chin and rainstorm eyes. If Scorpius had inherited anything from his mother, it wasn't readily apparent.

"Good morning," Draco said, kissing his wife on the forehead before turning to his son, "Cassiopeia is downstairs, she came here to see you."

Scorpius looked at his father in surprise, "What?"

Draco nodded, "You shouldn't keep her waiting."

Scorpius climbed to his feet, exchanging a confused look with his mother. They hadn't been able to tell anyone the truth behind their shift back towards the Dark Arts and, as a result, Daphne Greengrass had forbid her daughter from visiting her cousin, aunt and uncle.

 _What are you doing here, Cass?_

Scorpius found Cassie at the bottom of the stairs, wearing soft periwinkle robes and a matching pointed hat. She looked up at him as he came down the stairs, looking far more like his mother in that moment than he did.

"Your mum let you come by?" He asked, stopping a few feet from her and feeling a bit uncomfortable. He had been close with Cassie when they were younger. They were both only children and, since her father wasn't in the picture, he knew that his dad had always looked at her like a daughter. That had all changed once the Dark Mark appeared in the sky. Daphne had given her sister the benefit of the doubt for about a year, but had forbidden Cassie from visiting the Malfoy manor at the end of the summer.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Scorpius," Cassie said irritably, "And no, she doesn't know I'm here."

"Merry Christmas, Cass."

Cassie rolled her eyes, "Listen to me, Scorpius."

He arched his eyebrows, "I always do, dear cousin."

"Shut up," she hissed, "I don't know what has happened to you, but I know what used to matter to you." Her eyes narrowed pointedly, "And I know what mattered to you at the Ball."

Scorpius felt his blood freeze, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Cassie threw her long black hair over her shoulder, "I was with you that summer, Scor. We all went to Scylla together, and I saw that dress there. I know you sent it to Eva."

Scorpius stiffened, and prepared to lie.

"Don't bother," she snapped, "I won't believe it. And, unlike Albus, I can put two and two together. Both of you got back to your dorms well after everyone else, and Eva wasn't just nursing a hangover on that train, she was in shock. Something happened between you two."

Scorpius leaned back into the banister, his heart pounding against his chest.

Cassie narrowed her hazel eyes, "You don't need to worry, I haven't shared my suspicions."

"That's good of you," he said coldly.

"Yes well, if Eva wanted people to know something happened then she would have told them." She pulled an envelope from beneath her robes and handed it to him.

Scorpius took the envelope from Cassie's hand.

"Eva's not an idiot, so I have to believe there is something going on that justifies what you're doing," she held up her hand to silence him, "But I don't care what it is, it's none of my business. Just don't forget who the bad guys are, okay?"

Scorpius sighed and rubbed his face, suddenly exhausted. He tried to think of something hateful to say about Eva, something that would shake Cassie's conviction, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead he just looked away, "Think whatever you want, Cassie."

He didn't look up until Cassie slammed the front door behind her.

Scorpius took a seat on the staircase, checking to made sure his parents weren't around before hooking his finger in under the envelope's seal and sliding it open to reveal a photograph.

Eva was standing at the foot of the Hogwarts staircase, wearing the long green velvet gown he had sent her.

 _Merry Christmas, Eva._

The photo-captured Eva perfectly. She twirled, grinning and saying something he would never hear.

* * *

O

* * *

Scorpius followed his parents towards the train station, pushing his trolley in front of him and ignoring the odd looks from the muggles on the street. He had spent the rest of a quiet Christmas virtually sleepless, his mind whirling like a tropical storm.

Marie had visited on New Year's Eve and they had finally slept together. She had done it before, so he didn't feel as guilty as he knew he would if she had been a virgin, but he still felt like shit. He didn't know what bothered him more, pretending to care as he slid inside her, or how his body had eventually responded to her touch.

For the first time, he actually felt like a traitor.

Ever since he and Marie had had sex, his dreams of Eva had become more of a prison than a sanctuary. He'd fall asleep and into her arms in front of the fire, only to be driven awake again by the memory of Marie's nails in his back

He couldn't escape anymore.

Struggling to clear his head, he looked towards the Kings Cross station, just visible behind the hordes of people rushing to make their train.

It took him a moment to recognize the dark haired woman leaning against one of the sign posts.

Marie Zabini was wearing a long, black jacket and knee-high black boots. Her green eyes met his through the crowd.

 _Shit. Why isn't she wearing her robes? Where is her trunk?_

Scorpius pushed past his parents to reach Marie, allowing her to kiss his cheek and stain his skin with her merlot lipstick.

He heard his parents arrive behind him.

"We had better get to the train," Scorpius said, moving towards the station.

Marie's hand closed like iron on his arm, "Its best if you don't."

Scorpius' eyes locked on the station, his heart beginning to pound, "Why?" His voice was cold and hard, hiding fear.

Draco put a stiff hand on his son's shoulder, "Sounds like we should just trust Marie, Scorpius."

Scorpius stiffened, struggling to lock his panic and fury away inside of him.

 _Eva is in that station._

 _Everyone is in that bloody station._

Scorpius took a deep breath and relaxed his muscles, forcing his body to appear calm.

"Will we be able to see the show from here?" he drawled, kissing Marie's hair.

She smelled like perfumed violets. It made him sick.

"Yes," she said, sliding her hand into his.

Scorpius tucked his right hand into his robes, curling his finger around the tip of his wand and heating the gold band until it burned into his flesh.

 _Please, please know something is wrong._

The explosion rocked the earth beneath his feet, shattering the huge windows of the Kings Cross Station and sending glass spraying into the sky like rain. Fire erupted from the building, causing waves of heat to melt the clinging snow.

Compared to the explosion, the screams were almost quiet.


	17. Chapter 17: Impact

_Hey! Wow, super sorry for the long wait. I've had a crazy couple weeks with school starting up and some unfortunate family stuff… Also, the release of Sense8 season 2 (OMFG!), which resulted in me not sleeping or writing. Super sorry! I will try and update more frequently now_

 _HUGE THANK YOU to_ _ **Abudi**_ _,_ _ **Fandomqueen104**_ _,_ _ **Mdh166**_ _,_ _ **Timeturner1990**_ _,_ _ **Undwear Malfunctions16**_ _and_ _ **The Brilliant Nothing for following**_ _*cranks up music and gets keg* Also extra drinks and love to Fandomqueen, Timeturner, Malfunctions and Brilliant Nothing for the fav._

 _*dances* Yay reviews! I am SO glad you guys didn't hate me for the cliff-hanger, though I am super sorry that it was followed by a huge holiday on my part. Please let me know if there is anything you guys would like to see in the story!_

* * *

 **Ch. 17 Impact**

The fragments of the Hogwarts express lay twisted and smoldering among slabs of shattered cement and dusted glass. The surviving owls shrieked in terror, their feathers burning where they touched the red-hot metal of their cages. On the other side of the magical barrier, muggles screamed and ran through the dense smoke, looking for loved ones beneath the rubble.

Eva struggled, regaining consciousness with a surge of terror. For the second time in her life, she awoke surrounded by flames.

The station debris formed a crater around her, the only evidence of the last minute shield charm that had saved her life. Turning, Eva saw Lily Potter trembling, her older brother's head in her lap and a pool of blood growing next to his remaining foot.

Albus Potter was pale as bone.

Eva surged to her knees and crawled to Albus' side, taking in the ruined remains of his left leg with absolute terror. His blood pumped onto the fractured cement, sending ruby rivulets into cracks. She ripped off her jumper and pressed it to the tattered flesh, her hands shaking with horror.

"L-Lily, I need you to hold this here. Keep pressure on the wound."

Lily Potter's brown eyes remained transfixed on Albus' chest, either unable or unwilling to tear her eyes away from her brother's dwindling breath. Flames cracked along the carnage of the train, sending waves of heat rippling across the station.

Eva grasped the stump of Albus' leg with one hand and grabbed her wand with the other, slicking the Rowan wood with crimson. She pointed her wand at the shattered bine and flesh, willing herself not to tremble.

" _Prohibere sanguis."_

The pulsing blood stopped.

It was only then that Eva was aware of the hundreds of people racing around them, all screaming in terror and running from the flames. The Hogwarts Express was the forge in the center of the chaos.

She checked the wound with delicate fingertips and determined that, while she couldn't replenish the blood he had lost, he wouldn't lose more.

 _He needs a blood replenishing potion._

Eva turned away from Lily and Albus, locating Rose a few feet away, her hair matted with congealed blood.

"Rose?" Eva choked, beginning to suffocate on boiling air.

Memories of the blaze that claimed her father's life came in unwanted and unrestrainable waves.

 _Will I have to carry you too?_

"Eva!"

Eva looked up to see Teddy Lupin sliding into the shallow crater, his wand aloft. He was sending fierce jets of what looked like liquid silver into the fire, causing the targeted flames to dissipate almost instantly. He had another violent burn on his face to match the one a dragon had given him on his cheekbone.

Teddy looked down at Albus and his face paled, "We need to get out of here! Can you levitate Rose?" He grasped Lily's shoulders, giving the girl a hard look, "You need to get your brother out of here, Lily."

Eva nodded and staggered to her feet, silently levitating Rose into the air and watching with relief as Lily did the same to Albus.

Teddy battled the flames, allowing the small group to push forward towards the barrier.

At least sixty witches and wizards stood clustered by the barrier, some wounded beyond recognition, others leaning heavily on others for support. With a wave of relief, Eva recognized Percy Weasley stumbling towards them, his oldest daughter Molly trailing behind him.

"Healers and Aurors are arriving by Portkey," Percy exclaimed, "The barrier isn't functioning."

Teddy nodded, leaning over Rose and checking her breathing. He looked back at Percy, "Have you seen Hugo? Who else was at the Platform?"

Eva felt her stomach clench in dread, trying desperately to remember who had been with them.

Percy clutched his terrified daughter to his chest, "Audrey and Lucy stayed at home." He gestured at the two Potters, Rose and Eva, "How did they get here?"

"I brought them," Teddy said, getting to his feet and craning to see over the crowd, "It's only Hugo we're missing."

Percy nodded, and then caught sight of his nephew's disfigurement. The thin wizard dropped to his knees at Albus' side, gripping Lily's trembling hand, "Merlin, no."

"He needs blood," Eva's voice sounded unusually high and strained, "He needs a Healer."

Percy nodded, his narrow face draining of colour.

Teddy surveyed the crowd again, "Hugo isn't here. I'm going to try and find him."

Eva's heart was thumping madly in her chest at the thought of delving back towards the flames, but she couldn't push the image of Hugo from her mind. His big brown eyes and lanky arms. Like a chestnut colt.

 _Rose can't go after him, but I can._

She caught Teddy's eye, "I'll come."

Teddy turned to her, his yellow eyes drawing light from the blaze until his irises seemed to flicker with flames, "Use _Flamdomi_ on the fires, and stay with me."

Eva nodded, barley able to hear him over the roar of her heart.

The Metaphorphagus disappeared in the thick smoke without hesitation.

Eva swallowed and pushed her way through the rubble, dodging as witches and wizards rushed around her. She could just make out Teddy's blue head through the smoke, moving steadily towards the remnants of passenger cars.

 _Thank God not many people had boarded._

The Hogwarts expresses seemed to have absorbed most of the explosion, though it was hard to tell whether or not the source of the blast had been inside the train or nearby.

Eva stumbled and almost fell, catching herself on a splintered bench. Realizing what had caused her fall, her stomach rolled.

A charred body lay crumpled underneath rubble, its arm bent awkwardly. She could just make out the silver and blue of Ravenclaw underneath the char.

"Eva," Teddy's voice was urgent through the smoke, "keep up."

Eva tore her eyes away and hurried after the dragon tamer, refusing to imagine Hugo Weasley in the Ravenclaw's place.

 _Please, please, don't be here somewhere underneath the stone._

* * *

O

* * *

Rose woke up vomiting, her cheek pressing into the dusty station ground. She instinctively rolled onto her side as breakfast left her, searing the back of her throat. Coughing, she pushed herself to a seat, looking out on the chaos with bleary eyes.

Aurors and Healers were appearing all around, gathering the injured and guiding them out of the station by Portkey. Rose could see a group of lilac robed witches and wizards dropping to the ground beside the wounded, assisting Healers wherever they could.

She turned to see Lily and Uncle Percy crouched beside Albus, their faces waxen.

 _Oh, Albus._

A handsome dark haired healer was kneeling at her cousin's side, his bloodstained hands quickly examining the shattered remains of Albus' left leg.

Rose crawled over, her voice struggling to be heard over the sounds of fleeing feet "C-Can I help?"

The Healer surveyed her with steady brown eyes, "Lift his head."

Rose obeyed, setting Al's head in her lap.

The Healer pulled a small bottle from his robes and pulled the stopper, emptying the contents into Albus' mouth and stroking his throat with bloodstained fingers.

Her cousin didn't stir, but some colour seemed to seep into his cheeks.

The brown-eyed Healer rose to his feet, brushing dried blood off his trousers and looking around for the next victim.

Rose watched as a shout alerted him to a young man emerging from the smoke. He was stumbling under the weight of another person, with a stone-faced woman trailing behind him.

It took her a second to realize that the golden haired woman was Eva, and the young man stumbling under the weight of another was Teddy.

 _No._

Hugo hung limp in Teddy's arms, and for a second Rose couldn't understand how Teddy was carrying him. Hugo was as big as he was.

 _He's really no more than skin and bone stretched taught over fifteen years._

 _Hugo._

She searched Teddy's eyes for any sort of indication that her brother was alive or dead, but Teddy's luminous yellow eyes were as silent as the moon.

Rose moved towards them as if she was asleep, only dimly aware of the young Healer following at her heels.

Teddy lay Hugo down at the Healer's feet and Rose dropped to her knees at his side, her heart thumping. The Healer withdrew a long willow wand, and ran it over her brother's broken body. She could see his thin chest heaving to draw breath, and little bubbles of blood foaming in the corners of his lips.

Eva had drawn her wand and was exchanging hurried whispers with the Healer, both of them crouched low of Hugo's bloodied body.

 _He's alive, but just._

* * *

O

* * *

Scorpius stood in the grand hallway of the Malfoy manor, his shoulders trembling. He could feel his father's eyes on his back, scraping away at his flesh.

"Pull yourself together, Scorpius. This is not the time."

Scorpius turned to face his father. He was the taller of the two now, his eyes just skimming over his father's grey-blonde hair.

"You weren't ready for this," Draco dug his fingernails into his scalp, "I should have stopped you."

Scorpius let out a shivering breath, "And where would you be if you had? Hiding in a hole somewhere, afraid to look outside?"

Draco slammed his fist down on the banister, "Better than having you in a position you clearly can't defend!"

"Draco!" Astoria's voice cracked, "Give him a moment of peace, for Merlin's sake. He is afraid for his friends."

"He doesn't have friends!" Draco roared, "He gave those up when he decided to play hero! Those people are his enemies, and if he can't make the Death Eater's believe it then we are all finished."

Scorpius rounded on his father, fury boiling in his gut, "Hero? Hero? I'm not playing hero, you daft bastard! I'm trying to keep our family alive, and the only reason I have to do this is because of what you did!"

A icy silence settled between the Malfoy's for a moment, punctuated only by heaving breaths.

"Scorpius," Astoria pleaded, "you know your father regrets the choices he made. He was only a child."

Scorpius whirled on his mother, "A child? He was the same age I am!"

Astoria sunk down onto the staircase, resting her head in her thin hands, "Please, please don't fight."

Draco pursed his pale lips, "Scorpius, you made the decision to walk this line, and now you have to stick to it. You cannot show this kind of devastation." His voice softened slightly, "I understand your grief-

"No. No you don't." Scorpius pushed past his parents and made his way up the staircase, shutting his bedroom door softly behind him.

The bedroom was bright with afternoon light that glinted off book margins and old spell books. His mother had already cleaned.

Scorpius collapsed on his bed and looked down at the burnt flesh curling around his grandfather's ring. It was impossible not to imagine Eva's skin bunt and cracking beneath piles of rubble.

 _Please be alive._

The creek of his bedroom door announced Astoria, her face pale.

Scorpius looked away, willing the boiling tears back inside.

"Oh, my boy," Astoria whispered, sounding close to tears.

Scorpius clenched his eyes shut as his mother's lips brushed his hair and she sat down beside him.

"I'm so sorry."

Scorpius rubbed his face with his left hand, suddenly conscious of the painful burn on his right, "Its fine, mother. It's not your fault."

Astoria sighed, "Your father is afraid for you, Scorpius. I understand that you're doing this to protect our family but," her voice trembled, "it's our job to protect you."

"I'm doing what has to be done, mother."

She leaned into him, "I know, but you shouldn't have to."

Scorpius put his arm around his mother and took a deep breath, "I know what I'm doing."

Astoria nodded slowly, "Yes, I believe you." She hesitated, "But your father was right in a way. You can't let your true feelings free, not even around us."

He rubbed his face roughly, unable to push Eva from his mind, "I know, I was just afraid for…" he trailed off.

 _For someone._

"For her," Astoria's voice was barley a whisper.

Scorpius looked at his mother, unable to hide his shock.

Astoria sighed and pulled something from her pocket.

The photograph from Cassie lay in his mother's palm. Eva looked up at them in clinging velvet with sparkling blue eyes.

"I found it this morning, while I was tidying up."

Scorpius felt the air leave his lungs.

 _Careless. If she could find it, imagine who else could have._

"I didn't need this to know." Astoria ran her thumb gently along Eva's face, "I knew the dress wasn't for Marie by the way you looked at it in the store. You were imagining someone you loved."

 _Loved?_

Scorpius swallowed, tearing his eyes from Eva's and staring down at his hands.

Astoria sighed, "I'd ask her name, but I think it's best if I don't know."

 _Her name is Eva._

His mother looked at him, her green eyes full of pity, "You can't have something like this, Scorpius."

 _Her, or the picture?_

He nodded, digging his nails into his palms so that his hands didn't tremble, "Will you get rid of it? I don't think I can."

He didn't need to look up to know that his mother had nodded.

A little container of ointment appeared on his bedside table.

Astoria stood up, "That's for the burn. I won't ask how you got it, but please…" Her voice cracked, "You shouldn't have to be pretending for us, so please don't do anything to put yourself in anymore danger."

Scorpius took the ointment from the table without looking at his mother. He knew his parents would never sleep again if they knew what he had been trying to do with The Order.

 _But if she's gone…_

 _She's not. She's not gone._

* * *

O

* * *

Rose rested her head on the end of Hugo's bed at St. Mungo's. Her brother had been unconscious for two days, and the Healers had begun to question whether or not he would ever wake. Her mother and father had been trading off sleeping at the Hospital, and never in her life had she seen them so devoid of life. Her mother made her way between the Auror office and Hugo's beside like a ghost, and her father hadn't smiled since the attack.

Albus was asleep in the chair beneath the window, discharged only a few hours previous. His left pant leg was pinned up just below the knee, showing empty space that had once been occupied by his shin and foot. He would be looking at prosthetics with his parents later in the afternoon.

 _At least he's going to be okay._

Rose's eyes drifted over Hugo's unconscious face. His long brown eyelashes were crusted with sleep, though they hadn't so much as fluttered with the suggestion of a dream.

Quiet murmurs attracted Rose's attention across the room where Eva was talking with Helem, the young Healer that had saved both Hugo and Albus.

Eva was dressed in her customary muggle attire, but her hair hung lank and dirty around her face. She had slept on the floor beside Albus' bed every night, only leaving to visit Rose and Hugo.

Rose attempted to smile as Eva crossed the room and sat beside her, but she figured it had probably been more of a grimace.

"When do you start?"

"The end of September," Eva replied, taking a seat on the floor beside Rose's chair.

"Just before your birthday" Rose said quietly. Eva had been working tirelessly to join the Subitis, a volunteer group that worked alongside Healers, after the attack on the train station. She had been struggling to gain admittance without having finished school, but Helem had been helping her with the paperwork, and since Eva was born in October she just squeaked in before the age cut-off for admittance.

Eva shrugged, "I figured I might as well get started, there's quite a lot of training."

Rose nodded, unable to think of a reason why Eva should postpone and celebrate her birthday. Seventeen was important for the magical community, but after what had happened even Rose couldn't imagine celebrating.

"Helem is going to be my mentor." Eva commented, picking at the chipped polish on Rose's chair leg.

Rose nodded, "That's nice of him."

She couldn't conjure up the energy to tease Eva about spending so much time with the handsome young Healer.

"Have you told the Potters?" Rose asked.

Eva sighed, "No, not yet. Though, I don't think they'll mind considering the circumstances. I doubt I'll be the only student not returning to school."

Headmistress McGonagall had send out a letter stating that the semester would resume on January sixteenth, thirteen days after the attack on the station. Portkeys would be assembled to transport students to Hogsmeade in small groups, to avoid the large gatherings that had become a target for Death Eater attacks.

"I'll be going back. Mum won't hear of me dropping out, and since I won't turn seventeen until August I don't have much choice." Rose bit her lip, "It's going to be so strange being at Hogwarts without you."

"You'll have Albus."

"It's not the same." She sighed, "Little Molly won't be going back either. Uncle Percy is going to homeschool her."

"I don't blame him."

Rose scuffed her foot against her chair leg, "Hogwarts is still the safest place to be."

 _Yes, just regurgitate mum's words._

"I know, but I understand wanting to keep you children close after what happened."

Rose nodded, unable to argue.

Eva leaned back on the floor, looking up at the ceiling, "I can't believe they attacked the station."

"I don't think I remember what it felt to be safe." Rose pulled her fingers through her tangled curls, "Do you think many people will go back?"

"It's going to feel empty either way."

The casualty list had arrived on the front page of the Daily prophet on the morning of January fourth, only twenty-four hours after the attack. Thirty-two magical names and 21 muggle, all arranged beneath a photograph of the devastated station, the Dark Mark glimmering overhead.

Of the thirty-two magical names listed, twelve had been students. Luka Hardy had been number seven.

Rose dug her teeth into her bottom lip. Many of the thousands of tears she had shed in the last two days had been for Luka. She still couldn't understand how the boy she had spent so many hours with had been one of those crushed beneath the rubble. She hadn't loved him, but he had still been something to her.

 _He didn't even want to fight._

She clenched her eyes shut until the waves of grief receded back to the deep.

* * *

O

* * *

Eva placed her new lilac robes on the top of her dresser, and surveyed the narrow bedroom that had once belonged to Regulus Black. The Potters had built walls over top of the ones that were already there in an attempt to make the room more welcoming. She hadn't seen the room beforehand, but she understood that the previous resident had used a permanent sticking charm to display their fondness for the Dark Arts.

She was glad they had put a barrier between her and the relics of old hatred since reignited.

Reaching beneath her t-shit, Eva pulled the Malfoy ring into the light of day and pressed the tip of her wand to the gold band.

 _It's time we talk._

She had time to sit down on the bed, kick off her sneakers and cast a silencing charm before Scorpius Malfoy appeared with a loud crack.

He looked like Hell.

His skin had a translucent cast to it, making the veins in his temples stand out like blue worms under tissue paper. His hair was dirty and slicked back like his father's, revealing a sharp widows peak and emphasizing his sharp nose. His eyes scraped over her skin like claws.

Eva stood up, suddenly not sure of what to say.

 _What happened to you?_

She had hardly taken two breaths before Scorpius strode across the room and began running his hands over her roughly: arms, hips, stomach, ribs, throat.

His fingertips dug into the hair in the back of her scalp, and for a second she mistook the fire in his eyes for passion instead of fury.

"Two days," he hissed, "You let me wait two days?"

Eva's voice quavered under his rage, "Albus and Hugo were in the hospital. Al just got out."

"You couldn't have taken five seconds to let me know you were alive?" Scorpius snarled, baring perfectly straight teeth.

 _Oh. You didn't know…_

She realized her mistake before she spoke, "I thought your ring would have disappeared if I died."

His eyes narrowed at her oversight, "Your ring is the copy. I said that _your_ ring would disappear if _I_ died. Not the other way around."

Eva felt guilt swell up inside of her, "I'm sorry."

Scorpius' fingers relaxed in her hair, and she could feel his thumb tracing gentle circles at the base of her ear. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, "Merlin, Eva. I was so worried."

She could feel his heart pounding the air between them.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, nuzzling her nose against his chest.

He sighed and leaned back to survey her face, and then their surroundings.

"Where are we?"

Eva stepped back, recognizing the end of their intimacy, "Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. I'm going to be living here now."

Scorpius arched his eyebrows, "We it's good to know the enchantment really can pass the Fidelus Charm."

Eva bit the inside of her lip, "This means you're one of the Secret Keepers now."

Scorpius nodded, "I know. Don't worry."

Eva shrugged, she hadn't been worried about him revealing the secret, she had only been feeling guilty about divulging it with such ease.

Scorpius leaned against the wall, "So, why aren't you staying with the Potters?"

"I got in with the Subitis, and it's easier for me to get to St. Mungo's from here. Plus, I'm not the only one staying here, it has sort of become home base for a lot of members."

"So you're a member of the Order now?" Scorpius asked.

Eva looked at him carefully, not sure if she was imagining the displeasure in his voice, "Not yet, but soon I think. I'm talking to Mr. Potter about it in a few days." She paused, "But it would be good for us if I was a member, wouldn't it?"

Scorpius frowned, "You can pass information to the Order without being a member and having to engage in all their fights."

Eva narrowed her eyes, "I want to fight. I'm not just here to be your telephone, Scorpius."

"My what?"

Eva rolled her eyes, "Never mind. My point is that I can do more than pass on information, I want to be involved."

"Hence Subitis," Scorpius remarked.

Eva sighed, "Yes, that too."

"You said Al and Hugo were hurt?" Scorpius ventured cautiously.

Eva closed her eyes briefly, "Yes. Albus lost his left leg, right below the knee… And Hugo hasn't woken up since the attack. There was a lot of damage done to his brain, and the Healers aren't sure..." She swallowed, "They aren't sure what to expect."

Scorpius closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall, stretching the skin taught along his jawbone. His eyelashes were borrowing colour from the sun.

"I didn't know how to warn you. Marie was right there, I had no time." His voice cracked, "I'm sorry."

Eva touched his shoulder, making him look at her, "You saved my life. Albus, Rose and Lily's too." She pulled the neck of her t-shirt down, revealing the side of her breast.

A perfectly circular burn shone on the inside of her left breast, copying the shape and width of the Malfoy ring.

Scorpius touched his thumb to the scar gently, his skin cool against the hot flesh.

"When you hurt me I knew there had to be something wrong. I cast a shield charm just before the blast went off."

Scorpius looked up at her, his eyes locking on her face.

Eva's her eyes skimmed hungrily over the planes of his face. Her eyes lingered on his lips, and without thinking she raised her finger and traced his upper lip. His thumb was still resting on her breast.

"Cupid's bow," she murmured.

Scorpius took a shuddering breath, tickling the air between their lips.

Eva slid her hand around the back of his neck, standing on her tiptoes to bring him towards her.

He leaned into her, helping her close the distance between them.

His lips were hot and dry against hers, moving with an urgency that sent an electric shock ricocheting up her spine. His hands drifted to the small of her back, pulling her against him so that she held him against the wall.

Eva whimpered in the back of her throat, and nipped his lip. Hazy memories of the Christmas Ball fought to the surface of her mind and tangled up in the present, making it clear where she hoped things would go. She snaked her hands underneath his shirt, digging her fingernails into his back and clutching him to her.

His breath mingled with hers until she didn't know whose breaths were whose.

Eva's gasped in shock as Scorpius lifted her, her legs wrapping around his waist instinctively.

 _But I'm going to remember everything this time._

Flames ignited beneath her stomach as he lay her down on the bed, his weight pressing her into the mattress until all she could do was cling to him and remember to breathe.

She grabbed the bottom of his shirt, pushing at it urgently.

Scorpius reached over his head and grabbed the back of his shirt, tugging it over his head and letting it drop to the floor.

"Eva!" Teddy Lupin's voice sliced through the room, accompanied by a knock on the door, "I ordered some Chinese, come and get it, girl."

Eva felt Scorpius turn to ice beneath her fingers.

 _Fuck._

She was suddenly alone on the bed, with Scorpius standing a few feet away, his eyes fixed on the door and his face expressionless. If it wasn't for the light flush on his cheeks she would have wondered if she had imagined the whole thing.

Eva removed the silencing charm with a flick of her wand, "Thanks Teddy." She struggled to keep her voice even, "Give me a minute."

Teddy replied but Eva ignored him and re-cast the silencing charm.

Scorpius was standing in the exact same place, yet he had somehow acquired his wand.

It was then that she noticed the purple love bites dotted along his neck and chest, each one burning into her like a brand.

"Oh," her voice cracked.

Scorpius followed her gaze, and snatched his shirt off the floor, pulling it on as quickly as it had come off.

Eva found that she couldn't meet his eyes.

 _You knew Marie was still in the picture. What is wrong with you? Look at him. This isn't his fault._

She dug her teeth into her lip, but couldn't make herself look up.

"Who was that?" Scorpius asked, his voice sharp.

Eva blinked in surprise, slowly meeting his eyes, "What? Oh. Teddy. Teddy Lupin."

"What's he doing here?"

Eva tried to shake the image of Scorpius' well-loved chest and neck from her mind, not sure why Teddy mattered. "Uhm, he lives here. We live together."

Images of Marie straddling Scorpius were smashing through every layer of her mind, making her heart cry out it protest.

 _You should have known. He said he'd have to be… convincing._

 _How many times do you think he's kissed her? Fucked her?_

"I see." Scorpius voice was cold, as if he had never touched her.

Eva blinked in confusion, she could still feel his kisses on her lips.

 _How has this gone so wrong?_

"I should let you go. I'll contact you if I have any information." He ground his teeth.

Eva tightened her arms around her waist, unable to shake Marie Zabini from her mind, "Okay."

Scorpius glanced at the door one more time before spinning on his heel, disappearing with a loud crack and leaving her more alone than she had been in days.

* * *

O

* * *

The Malfoy manor was beautifully illuminated in the evening light, casting golden streaks across the stone. Scorpius took a deep breath, trying to clear the nausea Apparation always caused, before delving down the ravine and into the yard.

 _Get a grip. That was a mistake. She isn't yours, you need to stop thinking like she is._

Scorpius slid through the back gate, enjoying the familiar creak of wrought iron. He had been sneaking out of the property since he was seven, always ready to leave the oppression of the ancient walls behind.

Marie Zabini was waiting for him on the stone steps wearing woolen tights, elegant black robes and emerald earrings. Her haughty good-looks giving the impression that it was she that owned the manor and not the Malfoys.

"Your parents told me I'd find you here."

"Have you been waiting long?" He asked, careful to shield his mind.

She smiled, her voice like silk, "No."

He felt her probe slide across his mind like water on steel.

Neither of them acknowledged her attack or his defense. This was always the way with them.

"These gardens are beautiful," she gestured to the silver birch trees and wreaths of jasmine.

Scorpius took her arm, "Do you want to walk awhile?"

"Sure," she tightened her fingers on his arm.

They walked through the gardens in silence as night fell, neither of them acknowledging the descending cold.

"Is it safe to talk here?" Marie's voice was casual, as if she was discussing future landscaping ideas.

Scorpius brushed dew off an oak branch, "Of course."

She turned to face him, looping her arms around his neck.

 _Kiss her._

He leaned in, pressing his lips to hers.

She pushed into his mind the moment their lips touched. Her tongue caressing his teeth, her mind delving into his.

This time he let her in.

He carefully selected what she could see, fabricating memories and emotion where he needed to. The train station a victory, her lips an ecstasy.

 _Do you always have to be so nosey?_

She laughed, breaking away with a purr, "Yes. I've got a lot riding on you, Scorpius."

"I know."

She sighed, throwing her hair over her shoulder.

"What is it?"

"There's a meeting tonight." Marie ran her fingers along his arm, "I'm supposed to bring you."

Scorpius' lips curved, "Finally, some trust. What changed?"

Marie sighed and leaned back into an aspen, "You handled yourself well at the station. Regan was watching, and he has finally acknowledged that my trust in you might not be as misplaced as he thought."

Scorpius supressed a shiver as she trailed a nail along his jawbone.

She smiled, showing white teeth through merlot lips, "My brother has always been suspicious, you shouldn't take it personally."

He tucked his hands into wool pockets, "I don't take anything personally."

Marie laughed softly, sliding her fingers under his belt.

This time he shivered, her nails like ice on his stomach.

She slid her hand lower, moving closer so that her breath brushed his chest and her fingers tangled in the coarse hair around his groin.

Scorpius tensed, "Don't we have a meeting to go to?"

Marie licked her bottom lip, "We've got a few hours."

Scorpius let out a hissing breath as her frozen hands undid his belt and trousers. He closed his eyes, struggling with disgust and desire as she dropped to her knees.

Desire won out as Marie's hot tongue trailed across his tip, making blood pump through his veins.

"That was easy," Marie purred, stroking his stiffening shaft with a finger.

Scorpius swallowed a wave of self-loathing at how easy his body responded, still aching from his brief tumble with Eva a few minutes previous.

Marie slid him into the back of her throat, her tongue licking him eagerly.

Shutting his eyes firmly, he leaned back into a tree and tried to focus on the sensation and nothing else. But Eva danced at the outskirts of his mind, begging to be let in. Big blue eyes looking down at him. Messy honey hair tickling his collar bones.

 _She isn't here._

Scorpius shook his head, a mixture of longing and shame turning his blood to ice.

Marie made a noise of displeasure as he softened.

 _She cannot doubt you._

Scorpius ground his teeth in frustration and dropped down to his knees, crushing his mouth to Marie's and driving every though of Eva from his mind with a desperate fury.

Marie's lips responded instantly, her fingers clinging to his shirt and ripping at his hair.

Scorpius tasted blood on his tongue, not sure if it was his or Marie's.

"That's better," Marie growled, nipping at his lip until there was no doubt whose blood they were tasting.

Scorpius grabbed the hem off her robes and wrenched it above her hips, finding the waist band of her stockings and yanking them down to her knees. She never wore underwear when she visited him.

Marie yelped at the rush of cold air on her skin.

Scorpius pushed her away from him and grabbed her hips, spinning her around so that she landed on all fours in front of him. Her bare skin ghostly in the coming moonlight.

She arched herself into him, making gouges in the lawn with her nails.

He pushed into her easily, her walls wet and undeniably ready for him. Scorpius snarled and smashed his hips into her, not bothering to go slow. He wanted to end it.

Marie cried out in pleasure, her voice carrying over the gardens without a care for who might be listening.

He pumped his hips into her, struggling towards his climax with pure desperation. His knees soaked through and his shirt damp from sweat.

His pleasure was short lived, over before he finished flooding her, but she cried out with ecstasy and leaned into him.

Scorpius backed out of her, the cool night air sending goose pimples along his skin. He tucked himself back into his trousers.

Marie pulled her stockings up, cleaning the evidence off her legs with her wand and pulling her robes back down, "You ready to go?"

Scorpius rocked back on his heels, his breath steadying with each heartbeat.

 _A night of tests._

"Of course." He climbed smoothly to his feet, offering Marie his hand.


	18. Chapter 18: Tests

_I am literally the devil...I am so sorry. I honestly don't expect any of you to still be reading this but...I am going to finish it now...really. Yikes, I am the absolute worst. *Hides*_

* * *

 **Ch. 18 Tests**

Scorpius surveyed the room carefully, memorizing faces while simultaneously steeling his mind against the attacks he knew would be coming. He could feel eyes scraping over his flesh, eager to uncover whatever was hidden. The Zabini family home was not quite as old or as a grand as the Malfoy's, but the air still tingled with old magic and decades of greed. A long oak table sat in the center of what he assumed was the dining room, and Marie lead him wordlessly to one of the many high-backed velvet chairs.

He recognized a few faces from school: Amos Knott, Charles and Troy Lestrange, Victoria Carrow, Atticus Leroy and, of course, Regan Zabini.

Regan was almost as beautiful as his sister, with brown skin and jet black hair, though Scorpius noted that he had acquired a severe scar down his left cheek. Scars made some people look more ravishing, but Scorpius found that it somewhat marred the pristine beauty that all Zabini's wore so effortlessly.

"Zabini," Scorpius dipped his head as a sign of respect before taking a seat beside Marie. She laced her fingers with his, and Scorpius was struck for a moment by her devotion. She was cruel, yes, but loyal. She had fought hard and often against her family for her choice to date him, something Scorpius often worked to forget.

Regan dipped his head in return, "Malfoy, glad you could join us. We were just discussing our recent victory."

Scorpius was prepared for the instantaneous stab at his consciousness, and allowed Regan a quick, seemingly accidental glimpse at his feelings: _awe, surprise and a longing to be involved._

The handsome young wizard smiled, "It seems my sister wasn't entirely wrong about you, Malfoy."

"Enough with these pleasantries," A cold voice snapped.

Scorpius turned his head towards the authoritative voice, a quiver of excitement threatening the calm.

 _Could it be this easy?_

Marie's voice hissed quietly in his ear, "Her name is Godiva, she's our Death Dealer."

Scorpius' excitement dissipated, but he registered the information quickly all the same. The title of Death Dealer meant she was responsible for the attacks lead by their cell, and that she was the one who communicated higher up on the chain of command.

 _Meaning she's the one to watch._

Scorpius watched the woman carefully, memorizing her face. She was in her mid to late forties, with a shaved scalp and icy blue eyes.

Godiva took her seat at the head of the table, surveying each member carefully before finally resting her eyes on Scorpius. "I knew your grandfather, Malfoy." Her eyes flickered coldly, "He was a spineless whelp."

The people around them chuckled, eager to direct the tension at someone.

Scorpius eyed the woman steadily, "Couldn't agree more." He didn't need to alter his thoughts when she probed his mind. His hatred for Lucius was real, and Godiva didn't bother to examine his motives.

Godiva nodded slightly, "Your grandmother on the other hand was a powerful witch. A traitor like the rest of your family, but nonetheless adept at her craft." She leaned back in her chair, "Give me your wand Malfoy."

Scorpius felt Marie tense beside him, but he withdrew his wand from his robes in one smooth movement and passed it to the person beside him, who passed it on to Godiva.

Godiva held the wand in her fingers, "My great grandfather was a wand maker, and so I know a few things about what it means for a wand to choose a mate." She balanced the jet black wand on her palm, "Ebony and dragon heartstring."

Scorpius watched as the woman twirled his wand in her fingers, and for a split second he wondered if she meant to break it. Almost as soon as the thought occurred to him she threw it back to him.

"Consider this your first of many tests Malfoy," she eyed Marie carefully, "you have been vouched for with the most passionate of assurances, so consider yourself lucky to be here."

Scorpius nodded carefully, returning the squeeze of Marie's hand, "I do, and I will not disappoint."

Godiva snorted, "I will believe it when I see it. I have learned not to accept much from your family. I assure you, it is to the credit of the woman beside you that they are still alive."

This time Scorpius was the one to squeeze Marie's hand, the gratitude welling up inside him real. He nodded.

Godiva returned her attention to the table, addressing the dozen witches and wizards at once. "Tomorrow we will be setting another little blaze."

The energy around the table instantly intensified, the silence gathering around Godiva's words and sending shivers through the air.

The woman waited until the room seemed to vibrate before finally announcing the title of their next target, "St. Arundel in Tutshill."

Scorpius allowed no room for his own feelings to surface, and was careful to feel nothing but excitement wash over him. Godiva, Regan and Marie all dipped simultaneously into his mind and withdrew after various degrees of invasion.

Godiva continued, "I know it is a smaller target, but we need to test this method's success before moving onto anything larger."

A man Scorpius didn't recognize leaned in eagerly, "Will we be testing the - " the man was cut off with a choke. He scrabbled at his throat desperately, his eyes bulging out of his head.

Godiva surveyed the man with distaste, "Silence, Wilkes." Her eyes drifted to Scorpius, "You forget we have some…untested members among us." Her eyes hardened, "I believe you're heard enough for one day, Mr. Malfoy. Miss. Zabini, please see your beau gets home safely."

Scorpius rose quickly, taking Marie's hand in his own, "No need my love, I will see myself out." He turned to face Godiva, keeping every thought carefully concealed beneath waves of calm, "Thank you for this privilege Ms…" he trailed off.

Godiva's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and Scorpius felt his heart quicken. Everyone at the table turned to look at Godiva, and Scorpius could swear Marie had stopped breathing. A tingle of fear prickled his spine – had he pushed his luck?

"Perhaps the Black bloodline hasn't died out in your family after all." She smirked, "Bellatrix had the same boldness, though I have to say none of your charm. Perhaps Lucius was good for something after all. You may call me Ms. Gregorovitch, Malfoy." Godiva answered smoothly. "Now, be gone before you further try your luck."

Scorpius gave a quick bow to Godiva Gregorvitch before striding out of the double black doors and into the evening air.

 _And tomorrow St. Arundel in Tutshill will burn._

* * *

O

* * *

Eva quickly tied her hair back into two small braids, ignoring the strands not yet long enough to be contained. Rules on the ward stated that her hair had to be tied back at all times. It had been almost a month since Albus and Rose had returned to school, and she hadn't seen Scorpius since the night he had found out she was alive. She missed him with a constant ache, but she was angry too. He was supposed to be teaching her Occlumency, but his silence had left her to teach herself. She knew she was probably about as good at it as a tree frog, and she didn't fancy herself coming into contact with anyone skilled at Legilimency, but without him, and with no one else she could let into her thoughts, she had no choice but to muddle forward on her own.

"Eva, are you almost ready?"

Eva turned from her mirror to see Teddy leaning in the doorway. His usual blue hair had grown longer, and was slicked back from his sharp face. She had learned since living with him that although he could change his facial features and colouring, some states were more natural for him, and as a result the yellow eyes and blue hair were something she had become accustomed to.

Eva picked up her satchel from the floor, "Yeah, I'm ready Teddy, let's go."

Teddy nodded and lopped off down the stairs, grabbing a battered army coat from the hook before stepping out into the late afternoon chill. Eva was, as usual, on the night shift.

Eva followed him quickly, grabbing an over-sized sweater before mumbling the concealing charm on her way out. She had given up on asking Teddy to stop walking her to and from work every morning. He had seemed to take it as a personal affront when she first asked him, and hadn't got much nicer about it the more she kept asking.

* * *

By the time she arrived at work St. Mungo's was already abuzz with Healers and patients. Since the attacks had begun, more and more people were in need of care, and with not enough Healers to provide it, Subitis had been created. Eva had been trained in what could only be called combat Healing. She couldn't fix a cold or regrow bones, but she could stop hemorrhaging blood, put a stopper on internal bleeding, amputate cursed limbs, and provide respite from pain. Most of her time thus far had been spent organizing medical supplies, rather than running across disaster zones, as there had been no large-scale attacks since the one on the Hogwarts Express.

Eva hung up her jumper in her locker along with the rest of her belongings, before pulling off her clothes and replacing them with the lilac uniform of Subitis. Unlike regular wizarding robes, these reminded Eva of muggle work-out gear. The trousers fit like loose yoga pants, just skimming her legs. The top was a similar fit, loose enough to breath but without any excess fabric to be snared or caught on anything as she moved about the disaster zones.

"O'Connor?"

Eva turned to see her advisor, Helem, waiting in the doorway, "You ready? I've got some potions that need to be brewed this morning, and a bunch of bandaging to be cut and sorted."

Eva nodded and quickly shut her locker. This was Subitis in a nutshell. Hours of agonizing boredom, punctuated by moments of absolute horror.

Helem left her almost as soon as he found her, and Eva found her own way to the prep room. She had spent so many hours at St. Mungo's that she was pretty sure she could find everything in her sleep.

A plump young witch named Lorie, who reminded Eva strongly of a young Molly Weasley, sat at one of the benches, stirring a bubbling blood replenishing potion.

"Hi, Lorie." Eva said, pulling out a stool and examining the previous night's notes as to what had been done and what still needed doing.

"Hola, Eva," Lorie said with a bright smile, "I saw young Master Teddy walking you again this evening."

Eva concealed a groan. Lorie was, for the most part, a good person. And she was, without a doubt, the member of Subitis she seemed to be scheduled with most frequently. Unfortunately however, Lorie was also a fervent reader of Rita Skeeter. And Rita Skeeter loved Teddy Lupin.

"Ah. Yes. Well Teddy and I are basically family," Eva said tiredly, skimming over the notes for a second time.

Lorie smiled impishly, "Basically means not quite."

Eva sighed, "Listen, Lorie. If I could slice Teddy's forearm open and take a vow of mutual sibling-inspired celibacy, I would."

Lorie shrugged, "Uh huh, sure."

Eva huffed and began gathering ingredients for the blood replenishing potions that had been stewing overnight. Unfortunately, the only person who seemed utterly uninterested in the Death Eaters was Rita Skeeter. Only last week she had published an exhaustive article featuring a photo of Teddy and Eva crossing the street on their way to St. Mungo's. They were, as it happened, holding hands, but that was only because Eva was constantly getting separated from him in the busy London streets, and Teddy was on a personal charge from Mr. Potter to keep her safe.

It wasn't that Eva didn't find Teddy attractive, it was just that he wasn't…

 _He's not Scorpius._

Eva huffed, frustrated with herself. She had no reason to be nursing this flame for Scorpius, and yet, he was all she dreamed about. She dreamed of his skin beneath hers. She dreamed of his voice, she dreamed she was chasing him and she dreamed he was chasing her. She dreamed of him drowning, and of herself drowning with him.

"Well then, if not Teddy then is it Helem?" Lorie questioned cheekily.

Eva had to fight back the urge to hit the other woman with an empty cauldron. Was she even aware there was a war going on? "No. Lorie. No."

Lorie rolled her eyes, "Sometimes you're just no fun, O'Connor."

Eva bit her tongue and added some dried squid eyes to the nearest cauldron. She missed Rose and Albus so much it hurt. Albus had screamed at his mother and father until Eva had sworn the roof would collapse, but neither of his parents had relented – Albus was going to finish his seventh year at Hogwarts. With Albus going back, Rose had accepted her fate, though Eva had suspected that her friend had wanted to go back to school more than she had let on. As much as Rose wanted to fight, Eva knew her friend well enough to know that she loved school, and would loathe to be left behind by her peers in any subject. Albus on the other hand frequently snuck out of school to visit Eva, using the guise that his new leg was "acting up." Eva was indescribably proud of her friend, who had taken his injury with the most admirable bravery. He had comforted both his parents and his siblings while they wept, and was the first one to tell his Uncle George that he could no longer complain about his ear… as Albus had now clearly outdone him. Eva also had found a surprising amount of room in her heart for Cassie, who, upon seeing Albus' leg had announced in front of the entire Potter-Weasley clan that she'd "always wanted to fuck a pirate."

Eva was just about to add the finishing touches on the potions nearest her when a bone-splitting siren split the silence like an axe.

 _HEALERS AND MEMBERS OF SUBITIS, CODE BLACK-OPAL. REPORT TO YOUR UNIT LEADERS FOR INSTRUCTIONS._

Both Eva and Lorie moved swiftly in unison, shutting off the necessary cauldron fires and gathering the necessary healing materials for a Code Black.

 _Black means Death Eaters. Opal means a magical building._

* * *

O

* * *

The first thing Eva smelled was burning flesh. She stood with the other Healers and members of Subitis on the outskirts of a field that had once been the location of St. Arundel hospital. The building was now hardly more than a skeleton, wreathed in fire. Eva knew enough of curses to know that any fire that devoured both metal and flesh alike was the product of a curse, and it did not surprise her when whispers of "fiendfyre" soon began circulating amongst the remaining witches and wizards. Eva still bore the scars of the first fire attack by the Death Eaters, but those flames had been mundane in their kind, if not in their origin, and it had been possible to stop them. Eva knew that this fire was beyond her abilities. All she could do was race to the outskirts of the blaze and watch in horror is giant flame-made serpents devoured the hospital and any who strayed too close to the blaze. She could hear the survivors screaming around her.

Eva raced through the chaos, finding as many people as she could, and hauling them away from the tendrils of flame. Aurors and Curse-Breakers fought to contain the blaze, and they too fell prey to its power. Eva quickly assessed that most of the initial survivors of the attack were either already dead, or too far-gone to be saved. She gave pain medication without bothering to check the dosage, just hoping she could ease the passage of their burning bodies. It was the Aurors and Curse-Breakers that the Healers focused on, and Eva hauled many horrifically burned men and women from the fyre. She caught a glimpse of Hermione Granger, her wild hair illuminated by the fyre, leading a team of spell casters to the blaze, brandishing her wand like a sword and screaming magic far beyond Eva's comprehension. Eva watched in awe as Hermione wrestled the fyre with a magic that seemed to be the absence of all heat. The magic sucked at the fyre like a Dementor giving its final kiss, pulling it into oblivion. A few other witches and wizards began calling upon the same magic, Eva recognized both Charlie and Bill Weasley and amongst those who could perform the spell, but most fell back to watch in both horror and awe as the flames were sucked into swirling holes of emptiness.

* * *

O

* * *

Eva sat down shakily at the table, her eyes stinging from the smoke, and her robes reeking of burnt flesh. She had finally been released from her Floo-Powder call with Rose and Albus, both of whom had been too horrified to do more than scream in outrage. She had answered their questions numbly, unable to do more than nod shakily. It was Albus who finally clued into her exhaustion and ended the call.

Eva closed her eyes tightly and rested her head in her hands. She no-longer wanted to be awake, but she didn't want to be asleep either. Every time she closed her eyes she could see flesh curling from bones and faces contorted in agony. It had taken close to ten hours of constant labour to dispel the fiendfyre and tend to the injured, and it was almost 3 o'clock in the morning before Eva had finally stumbled home.

"What the hell are we going to do, Ev? Fiendfyre…" Teddy groaned, his clothes similarly stained with soot. He had arrived with the rest of The Order and, thanks to his time in Romania working with dragons, had been one of the few to know the spell wielded by Hermione.

Eva shook her head numbly, "I-I don't know. I mean, St. Arundel was remote. There was nothing to burn besides the hospital and a scattering of farm houses… If they released that on London…" Eva trailed off, too choked by despair to continue.

Teddy said nothing, but reached across the table and took her hand.

They sat in silence, their fingers interlaced, until Eva finally excused herself and made her way to the bathroom. She was halfway into the shower when Scorpius' necklace caught her eye in the mirror.

 _Did he know?_

Eva stared at herself in the mirror. Her skin and hair stained with soot, her eyes peering out from purple circles. She remembered the last time she had spoken to him and felt her chest tighten.

 _It doesn't matter. He should know I'm alive._

Eva reached down and pulled her dirty Subitis slacks back over her bare legs, and her sports bra over her head, wincing at the smell.

Eva quickly cast the silencing charm before pressing her wand to the serpent at her chest.

* * *

O

* * *

Scorpius lay awake, staring at the ceiling and wondering how many people had died while he lay in bed. He had been trying to imagine their faces, and what the Death Eaters had done to them, making sure each piece of his soul knew the atrocity he had committed. It took him a moment to realize that the ring on his finger was blazing with heat, and he felt a wave of simultaneous relief that Eva was safe, and dread that he would have to face her and confess what he had done.

He felt the ring tug him towards her without any of the discomfort of apperating.

It had only been three weeks since he had seen her last, but he still felt the same desperation as if he had been separated from her for years. He took in her tiny frame and the permanent shadows beneath her jay-blue eyes. Her skin was stained with soot, and she stood before him in similarly stained and ruined pants, her small chest rising and falling beneath a black sports bra. She looked like she had been running through hell itself, but he felt in his soul a kind yearning he couldn't describe. It was more than wanting to be inside her, he wanted her to fall asleep in his arms. He wanted to see the circles beneath her eyes disappear. He wanted to see her laugh like she had in the photo Cassie had given him.

They stood staring at each other until Scorpius wondered how he had ever taken for granted when she used to leap into his arms after the summers away from Hogwarts.

Suddenly Eva's chest heaved with a breaking sob and she lunged forward into his arms, clinging to him and sobbing like her sadness was drowning her. She was tiny, and yet Scorpius found himself on the bathroom floor with her curled in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck, and his head pressed into her hair. She smelled of fire, death and sweat, but beneath it all she smelled like Eva. She smelled like the _Amortentia_ potion he had smelled on a dare in third year: muggle laundry soap, lavender and fireworks.

Scorpius lifted her face to his, his eyes searching hers desperately for a clue as to what she had been through.

Eva took a shuddering breath and leaned her forehead back into his chest, "Fiendfyre, Scor. They lit St. Arundel ablaze with fiendfyre. Everyone in the hospital died. We lost Healers, Curse-Breakers and Aurors too. Th-th-," Her voice broke again, "there was nothing we could really do. Their flesh, it just burned into ash on the bone."

Scorpius felt his stomach writhe within him, disgust at himself threatening to send him running from her. He took a deep breath, "Eva..."

She pushed back from him, peering up at his face with the same clear-eyed expression that always made his heart fall into her hands, even if she didn't know it. Hers was the only face it truly hurt him to lie to. If he was being honest, hers was always the only approval he truly craved. For if Eva O'Connor thought he was good, well, then he was absolved of all sin by the only law that had ever mattered to him.

"Eva, I knew." His voice threatened to break, but he held it steady, "Marie took me to the first gathering. They told me the target and when." He hesitated, not wanting it to seem like he was making excuses, "They didn't tell me what they were going to do. I didn't know about the fiendfyre." He felt his bones quake under her stare as he waited for her to push herself off him in disgust. To tell him to get away from her.

 _Murderer._

She did none of those things. She just sat perfectly still, watching him.

"You couldn't tell me, Scorpius." Despite all the tears she had shed, her voice was suddenly calm, "It was the first time they trusted you with any real information. If you had told me, and I had told the Order, they would have killed you as a precaution, it wouldn't have mattered if The Order credited my visions or not. If this is going to work you need to be alive, and they need to trust you." She blinked, studying his face, "Scorpius, it isn't your fault."

And suddenly, for one of the few times in his life, Scorpius lost control. As soon as the first tear broke through his composure the rest followed, and soon he was sobbing until he wondered if his whole body would disintegrate. He had known logically why he couldn't tell Eva what he knew, and yet he had also lain awake feeling that each life that had been taken was on his shoulders. He couldn't fully even comprehend the level of disgust he felt with himself in his bones, and yet Eva rocked him as he clung to her. She pressed her lips to his forehead and stroked his hair for him as he had done for her only seconds before. She held him until they were both drenched in tears.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Scorpius pulled himself back together. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried to someone. The Malfoy's weren't big on any kind of emotional display and, as a child, his tears had been hushed as quickly as his laughter. He could remember his father telling him that knowledge was power, and by showing people how he felt (no matter whether it was positive or negative) he was giving them power over him. His mother had tried to temper that advice, but Scorpius had a legacy of emotionally suppressed Malfoy males to overcome, and once Legilimency attacks became a part of the morning breakfast routine, Scorpius had almost forgotten what it felt like to feel something without controlling it.

Eva however, had always made him remember. It was what scared him the most about his partnership with her. Memories of her clung to his consciousness like vines and, when it came to purging his mind, his affection for her lingered.

As if sensing his regained composure, Eva untangled herself from him and went over to the shower. He was grateful for the moments she allowed him to dry his face in private. When he looked up, he saw that she had on the faucet, feeling for the correct temperature without magic. After a few moments she turned to him.

Scorpius stood up like he was in a dream, guided by Eva's small hands in his. Once he was standing she carefully undid the buttons on his shirt, slipping it off his shoulders.

If it hadn't been for the intense sorrow they were both feeling, her touch might have seemed like an advance. As it was however, her hands were gentle, not wanting, as they pulling the shirt from his body.

He watched, still feeling as if he was in a trance, as Eva turned and stood in front of the shower with her back to him, encased in steam. She pulled the stained pants from her pale legs, revealing practical black underwear that she shed a few seconds before pulling the sports bra over her head. He caught a glimpse of the side of one of her small breasts before she stepped into the shower.

She left the door open, and water sprayed onto the ancient black and white bathroom tiles.

Scorpius hesitated for a moment before sliding his pants and boxer briefs down his legs, unsure of anything besides the sound of the hot water and the irrepressible need not to say good-bye to Eva quite yet.

As he stepped into the shower the steam encased him like a blanket, making his eyes blink rapidly to clear the moisture from his eyelashes. Eva stood facing him with her eyes closed, her head tipped back in the hot water.

Scorpius felt his body shake as the blood began pounding through his veins again, awaking ever nerve as if he had been in the grave before he saw her.

He knew people considered Marie and Rose Weasley the beauties of their year, but Scorpius had never really had eyes for anyone besides Eva. Her beauty was soft and quiet, like a lilac rather than a lily. She wasn't fierce or sexy the way Marie and Rose were, with their sharp eyes and hourglass figures. No, Eva reminded him of a fairy, with her round blue eyes and honey blonde hair. But he also knew what those pretty eyes looked like when they were full of fire and desire, and although he didn't remember much of their night together, he couldn't imagine anyone looking sexier than Eva had as she looked down on him, illuminated in firelight.

Now she stood naked, encased in steam, and he felt as if he might die if didn't touch her.

He felt the heat stir in his groin, and was instantly grateful her eyes were closed. He knew that if he gave in he wouldn't be able to stop, and then he'd have memories that were a lot harder to erase than the alcohol-laced ones he had from the night they had slept together.

As if sensing something, Eva turned her back to him without opening her eyes, lathering shampoo in her hair. It smelled of lavender.

Scorpius stepped forward and tangled his fingers in her hair, massaging the suds into her scalp with careful circles. He had never washed anyone's hair but his own, and he was surprised at the wave of affections that threatened to engulf him.

Eva leaned back against him and his body tensed as the feeling of her skin against his caused the blood to rush down between his legs, making his cock harden against the middle of her back.

Eva's breath caught in her throat, and Scorpius fingers trembled as they rinsed the soap from her hair.

He knew he had to leave before things got out of control, and yet he couldn't bring himself to move.

Eva slowly turned around, keeping her body pressed against his as she turned towards him. Her eyelashes were flecked with water droplets, and her lips parted slightly as she looked up at him, making his cock twitch and his whole body ache with desire. His ring hung on the chain between her breasts, and for a split second she was his.

Suddenly, Eva stepped back, using the wall of the shower for support.

She looked up at him, the muscles in her jaw tightening, and he could see the desire in her eyes. "C-Can you hide these memories, Scorpius?" Her voice was gravelly, as if she couldn't quite get the words out.

It took every ounce of self-control for him not to lie to her and crush her body to him. At the moment, death seemed a small price to pay for being able to touch her, "I can try."

She looked at him steadily, "I won't put you in danger again…When we, the first time, I didn't know."

Scorpius felt like all the colour had been sucked from the earth. He knew that she was right, but every inch of his body wanted her. He closed his eyes for a second before nodding, "I know. I'm sorry, Ev. I can't even..." he trailed off, rubbing his face with his hands.

 _I can't even touch you the way I want to._

Eva stepped forward again, putting her arms around him and leaning her head into his chest. She held him there for a second before turning back to the water, and Scorpius thought she might have been crying.


End file.
